I Stand Alone
by Naheka and Joe the Nazgul
Summary: Filth to the nth degree. -- Marpessa - Ah yes, a weird Legomance written in ancient times (two years ago)! Of a quirky young girl who happens to be an assassin! And who happens to be in Mirkwood! WHAT can possibly go wrong!
1. Only the Begining

**Disclaimer: The Lord of the Rings is owned by JRR Tolkien. I own my character.**  
  


* * *

**Author's Note**  
  
Changing in names, changing in dialect. I am anti-Legolas, and I am 'ell'a proud of it! There are thousands of adjustments I'd like to make, and I wanna' start ASAP! This is a finished story. If it appears on the new list, it is because I am re-updating chapter from Microsoft Word to Netscape Composer. Please forgive the screwed-up ness. I hate it so...  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
I STAND ALONE  
  
  
Legolas turned the handle and opened the door slightly. He poked his head in ever so cautiously, as if he feared something to come pummeling at his face at the sight of intrusion.   
  
Well, he had a good reason for it. Naurglahad Ryunarasu was no angelic maiden in Mirkwood. Quite the opposite, really. Dark green eyes, poisoned with morning intolerance tainted her glare. Black-brown hair was a greasy tangle over her gothic face, oval shaped and bitter. She didn't like mornings. The twitch in her dead pale knuckle told Legolas that she was about to reach under her pillow and pull out a dagger, but her slender fingers only rattled slightly on her sheets.   
  
"Legolas." Her tone was murderous and grouchy, an alto voice preserved only for times to threaten people. In Naurglahad's case, she was constantly in that tone. "Hm. I cannot remember whether you asked for a slow death or a quick death. Yesterday, I promised I'd kill you the next time you annoyed me."  
  
Legolas sighed. "Silence, young child. It is nearly eight o' clock in the morning, and I'd prefer you eat now before you tear the kitchens apart in seach of breakfast... again."  
  
"Hey!" Naurglahad swung herself out of bed, not bothering to cover her loose black nightshirt and boxers. Legolas covered his eyes, shaking his head. "That was lunch! And I was hungry! If you wanna' whine about it, then don't go to me!"  
  
In reply, Legolas turned on his heel and out of the room, muttering something in Sindarin. But the nineteen-year-old hadn't gotten her morning excersize yet.  
  
Fwap!  
  
"Ouch!" A thick, leather book fluttered to the floor with a thud. The Elf noticed metal clasps on the binding. She had just thrown that at his head!  
  
Naurglahad hissed after him like a snake. "You want another one?" She waved an even heavier volume at him. "Back off! Get out!"  
  
The door slammed in Legolas' anger as he stomped off into the deeper areas of Mirkwood's caves. Just anywhere to get away from her.  
  
"Elves stink." She kept muttering acidly under her breath and she whipped out a torn-up tunic from her closet. When it was on properly, or at least as properly as it could be, she turned in the full length mirror beside the doorway. Her left sleeve had been "artistically" torn off, as a rip came also on the left. From the bottom of the hem, all the way up to her hips it cut. Of course, a pair of dark shorts gave cover to her higher areas. But even still, there was some bare thigh showing. Modesty was not always a vital trait in Naurglahad's dress style.   
  
She strapped two, long leather belts at her thighs, which made a perfect hold for a rather complex set of artillery: darts, throwing knives, a sword, vials of poison liquids, a dagger, and tiny little cartridges that Naurglahad assured to only be mere smoke capsules, used for the art of escape. However, Legolas claimed that it was poison gas collected from random craters in Mordor. She remembered slapping him upside the head for saying that.   
  
Thoughts like these would cross her mind every morning, for every time she visited this world. Naurglahad wanted to be back in her own home…in a realm of Dragons. Some would consider her family's business as Dragon-ranchers, but there were always darker things that the public didn't know. Why was she here? She knew the answer quite plainly. Her three friends, Chaos-chan, Megan, and Jackie simply loved coming here. And the only way to get here was to take Naurglahad's warp portal in her ship called_ Inugami._  
  
"I hate my life, " she thought aloud.  
  
  
** ~*~**  
  
  
"Please!" groaned Legolas to his father Thranduil, "It's alright if the others stay, but does Naurglahad have to be here? She's a nightmare!"  
  
Thranduil sighed as he scratched his head.  
  
"Naurglahad isn't that bad," he said reassuringly. "You just need to become more acquainted with her. She's a very compassionate person within. And besides, she's dead useful when it comes to exterminating the giant spiders and all the other numerous tasks we need help with."  
  
"Father, she threw a book at my head."  
  
He brandished a copy of a huge hardcover book labeled in a foriegn script.   
  
"I agree with him," said one of Thranduil's advisors, "Naurglahad could be causing a large amount of damage to our normal lifestyles and traditions. She might interfere with any other affairs while she's at it."  
  
Thranduil shook his head. "We will discuss this later, " he concluded, turning to Legolas. "I have no grudges against Naurglahad, and I don't believe either of you should. Now would be a good time to…do a recreational morning activity! Good day!"  
  
He dismissed Legolas, who trudged away, grumbling in frustration. 'A recreational morning activity?' he thought. 'What kind of excuse is that?' This was an impossible task: getting Naurglahad out of his world, and back into her own. He hated her. Badly. She was so abusive to him. Calling him names, teasing him, physically injuring him, and of course, an occasionally good shove in the lake. Many of the Elves said that these were just signs of affection, but no. He refused to believe it, and he knew it was true. Naurglahad hated Legolas, and Legolas hated Naurglahad.  
  
He turned around the corner to find a pair of Elf maids there, walking down the hall, chattering away without a concern.  
  
"--and she said Lady Naurglahad threw a book a Master Legolas," squeaked one of them, "and now she is off to the mountains!"  
  
"The mountains?" asked the other. "Wouldn't that mean-?"  
  
"Yes. She's going to Cadharas again for more flying escapades."  
  
"Flying escapades? More like flying stunts. She flies with the Great Eagles, on a Dragon!"  
  
"Terribly dangerous. She has a very... odd-working mind."  
  
"It is almost fascinating how she got a Dragon on a leash. More horrifying than fascinating."  
  
"I can definitely relate to your comment. Atrocious beasts they are, Dragons. One day, King Thranduil will boot them all out of Mirkwood."  
  
"I should hope so," announced Legolas. The two Elf maids jumped in surprise. Apparently, they hadn't heard Legolas following them from behind. "And to add to that comment, Naurglahad must be some kind of creature from the bowels of Mordor. She tells us that she had Ringwraith companions during the War. On top of that, she is probably going to abuse my horse for no apparent reason." He pushed through the Elf maids in a hurry, and sprinted down the rest of the corridor, anger boiling in him once more.  
  
  
** ~*~**  
  
  
"I'll never understand you prissy frissy creatures," Naurglahad grunted to Legolas' horse, Fenaro. It whinnied gently and tossed its head, white mane flying in the soft breeze that blew on the placid fall day. "I suppose I will let you rest for today." She stroked its head softly, and turned down the long row of stables. Ever since Naurglahad had come, horses were not the only things that were housed in Northern Mirkwood.   
  
Now, there were Mumakil, Wargs, and a winged beast from the Nazgul. Infant Dragons, both Cold-drake and Uruloki were being bred in the inucbary she had installed, and rumors told that there was a Kraken living at the bottom of a nearby lake. No one could confirm this, nor deny it, as no one dared to dive into the water and investigate. Only Naurglahad would crouch at the shores and throw a morsel or two into the water when growling noises were heard from within.  
  
However, to Naurglahad's utter annoyance, her care for Darkness attracted beautiful things too. The Tindomerel and Swans would flock during the springtime. And Eagles now tended to swoop a bit lower over Northern Mirkwood. Naurglahad would house the Tindomerel during the winter, and feed them sweet seeds and fresh water from the dew. She would heal the swans when they were injured, and always sent them off with trinkets that glittered like mithril or treats that the Tindomerel would receive. It semi-annoyed her to serve such petty little animals, but for some reason, she just couldn't turn them down.  
  
All this attracted the Eagles, who flew in to investigate. Upon meeting Naurglahad, they returned home not with material gifts, but with minds full of wise or kind words. They listened to Naurglahad explain technology and the way nature moved in her world. She talked about photosynthesis, ecosystems, and millions of other scientific explanations or theories of nature. Sometimes, she became very bored with herself, lecturing on and on about 'fascinating' subjects, yet like the woodland birds, it would sting her to turn them down.  
  
In return for her abundance, the birds brought strange seeds to her every spring. Seeds that sprang into Athelas, or Mallorn trees, and sometimes the Elanor. One seed was thought to be a seed for the trees of the Valar, Laurelin and Telperion, brought by the Eagles. They had left without mentioning exactly where they had found it. Gwaihir simply claimed that he and the others had found a shiny pebble on the roadside, and thought it would be a nice gift. Naurglahad decided to keep this seed as itself, to wait for another day to plant it. A reward was a reward. As long as it didn't explode in your face...  
  
"Come, Vedi," Naurglahad clicked at the flying Nazgul steed, "we're going to the mountains."  
  
Vedi reared his head and spread his wings as he screeched loudly. He tossed and writhed, eager to escape from his tiny prison. Vedi had a wild personality, striving for freedom and independency. The wind was his brethren the sky was his terrain. Of course, it is common knowledge that both the Ringwraiths and their hell hawks fell from the sky and died the moment the Ring fell into Mount Doom. But using Inugami... Naurglahad challenged time, space and genetics. It was not something she feared in particular. Probably the most undying consequence of this defiance was a week's worth of tormenting headaches, re-calculating everything she did retrieving data for the project.  
  
Naurglahad unlocked the iron cage doors to Vedi's stable and carefully lead him out. In a flash she had him saddled and bridled. She swung her leg over the saddle and gently nudged Vedi's ribs. He shrugged his wings, preparing to take off, but then--  
  
"_Hold it right there!_"  
  
Naurglahad twitched angrily. She simply hated it when he did things like this. Aggravation pounded in her brain.  
  
"I'm sorry Legolas," she said, not turning to face him, and trying to speak politely and straight, "but I don't have _time_ for your _foolish_ attempts to _stop_ me from going to the mountains to ride the Dragons, and making _me _look _better _than _you_! I apologize for any _inconvinience_! _...Haveanicedaygoodbye_!"  
  
Vedi screeched a note as he kicked off into the fall sky with a blast of wind, scattering the dead fallen autumn leaves at Legolas, who raised an arm to shield his face. When he lowered it, Naurglahad and Vedi had already reached a high elevation. Their sillouhoute slowly drew away into the pink and orange morning heavens.   
By now, someone would have already given up and left, but Legolas, who was already fed up with Naurglahad and her extreme defiancies, kicked open the door to Fenaro's stable and mounted him quickly in the elven fashion.  
  
"To the mountains," Legolas muttered in his ear. Fenaro bent his head and whinnied unenthusiastically. "Please, just this once." Feanro shook his head. Legolas groaned. If he couldn't use his own horse, then he would have to walk to the mountains.  
  
Sighing in despair, he turned away back into the forest, but something caught his eye. It was a red pouch, hanging on the wall of Vedi's stable. He had always wondered what exactly was in that pouch. Naurglahad had never told anyone what it really was; only hinting that it was like a battery, or an energizer. Perhaps, Legolas thought, it would work for Fenaro. Snatching the pouch, he carefully drew the leather strings open carefully. It might have been something toxic, capable of clouding his mind or poisoning him by the scent. He untied the leather.  
  
No. It wasn't anything harmful by sight or scent. They were minute, scarlet stalk-like beans. It had a hard green stem and was a bit bumpy on the red part. 'Well,' Legolas sighed inwardly. 'Only one thing to do.'  
  
He shoved the little object in Feanro's mouth.  
  
Legolas had just enough time to mount as Fenaro shrieked and took off rapidly, a stream of dust rising being him. Legolas didn't know it, but as Fenaro decamped, a thin piece of parchment drifted to the ground. On it, in Naurglahad's handwriting, was a warning lable:  
  
** CAUTION- HIGHLY DANGEROUS, EXTRA SPICE CONCENTRATED CHILI PEPPERS. DO NOT FEED WHOLE. SERVE ONE EIGHTH OF A PEPPER FOR EVERY FIVE-HUNDRED MILES.**  
  


* * *

Changes to be made in the rest of the story...  
  
***Technical facts** (The city of Lothlorien and River Nimrodel is approximately 50 miles apart. You _cannot_ run that in five minutes)  
***Character** (Naheka Ryunarasu... does not exist. Her character completely died, and I rejoice. Naruglahad Ryunarasu reigns in terror, and she is nowhere near as compassionate as NahekaOC.)  
***Speech** (Too slangish)  
* **Description** (my style has been enhanced, and there are POV's that I desire to smush)  
  
  
  



	2. Dragons and Spiders

**Disclaimer: **I do not own LOTR. It belongs to JRR Tolkien.  
  


* * *

  
** I STAND ALONE**  
  
Naurglahad pulled back on Vedi's reins and guided him down into the trees. He squawked as she slid off his back and harnessed him to a large, aging oak tree. She admired the flashing orange shade of the leaves that remained on its branches before retrieving slice of boar meat from a slung pouch on Vedi's saddle.  
  
"Good job Vedi" said Naurglahad. She tossed the meat to Vedi, who caught it in his beak, and devoured it messily and quickly. He bent his head as he swallowed, igniting a rather disgusting sound that was unmistakably a burp.   
Naurglahad grinned at him as she headed toward the base of the mountains where an enormous cave stood with frightening stone icicles planted among the roof, like a great mouth, opening itself to bar its terrible teeth at intruders. But it was not this trait that petrified most travelers. It was the sound of heavy, deep, hot breath coming from the dark that gave the element.  
  
Everyone knew what beasts lay in this den. Dragons. Six of them. Three of them were Cold-drakes, two were Uruloki, and the last, a crossover breed. Naurglahad was the only one who would dare to confront these demons, and for a good reason too. She was their 'mother'. Naurglahad had come across five strange 'rocks' while absentmindedly exploring the caverns of the Misty Mountains. She mistook them for mineral resources and transported them to Inugami, where she continued scientific study on them. When she had discovered their true identity, she hatched them quickly, and placed them in a growth chamber, shortening their needed time to develop.  
  
By her own wits and will, she raised each and every one of them, from flying, to running, to eating, and attacking. Eventually, Naurglahad had her own elite team of reptiles. Then, mating season came around. That was when the famous crossover breed was born. He became her fiercest warrior and impacted more terror than Vedi did.  
  
Naurglahad walked a few paces inside the cave before taking a whistle from around her neck and blowing hard. Out came a thunderous blast, followed by swishing sounds from the dark. In seconds, six pairs of slanted luminous eyes appeared, quickly advancing toward the mouth of the cave. Vedi backed behind the oak tree.  
With a snarl and an almighty roar, the six Dragons flew into place, landing with a BOOM on the ground. Each Dragon straightened it's back as she paced down the line. First, there was a green Uruloki, Jade, seated next to a blue Cold-drake, Cerulean, then a black Uruloki, Ikaika, a white Cold-drake, Asira, a red Cold-drake, Firestorm, and, Naurglahad's finest Dragon, a gold crossover, Malta.   
  
"Excellent!" she said cheerfully. Some of them tilted their heads, and the others peacefully closed their eyes. "You're all still in good shape. We're going for a flight at the peaks!"  
  
Firestorm roared triumphantly. Naurglahad smiled.   
  
"Let us be off then!"  
  
She hopped on Firestorm and settled herself between his wings. Firestorm roared again and whipped his tail as he reared off into the clouds, the other five following behind. It was a glorious sight to see, six Dragons of many colors soaring upwards like a rainbow.  
  
  
** ~*~**  
  
  
  
Feanaro whinnied in fear and panic as he galloped rapidly through the forest toward the mountains. He felt like his mouth had burst into blue flames. Legolas pitied him. Perhaps he shouldn't have tampered with the strange red feed without confirming how safe it was. But then again, he didn't see any warning labels on the pouch; unless it's scarlet color was the warning. Smacking himself on the forehead in realization of the mistake he made, he made an attempt to slow Feanaro down.   
  
"*Lava Feanaro!" he said clearly in Feanaro's ear, "Lle fauka?"   
  
Feanaro shrieked again in a reply, tossing head and stomping. Legolas nodded and steered him west off the path where a sprouting tree stood. Its bark was silver gray and it's tiny immature leaves were a pale shade of gold. A tiny ray of sunlight shone on it, making it glitter and glimmer mysteriously. It obviously stood out between the dark green trees that surrounded the territory. He had only discovered this tiny sanctuary three months ago. He figured someone must have planted it last springtime. Probably grown from a rather unique seed, and probably presented as a gift.  
  
Legolas stooped next to it and plucked one leaf from a branch. At the bottom of the sapling, a tiny clear pool had formed, creating a moat around the trunk. With the leaf, he scooped a bit of water, and fed it to Feanaro. Feanaro chewed slowly on the leaf and swallowed. As he stopped prancing, he could feel the heat dramatically decrease on his tongue.  
  
"I see you've discovered my little tree?" said a voice. Legolas whipped around.  
  
There was Naurglahad, leaning against a giant red wall with an unsurprised look on her face. His heart started beating faster when he saw that the wall was slightly breathing.  
  
"Your tree?" countered Legolas, "none of the trees in Mirkwood belong to you!"  
  
"Neither do they belong to you, Legolas" she passed him and crouched near the tree, shaking her head as she looked at the gold leaves, "And please," she added, "do not pick the leaves from the tree. Use a spoon or something if you want the dew water" She stood up and glared at him. "As a tree-boy, I expected you would know better!"  
  
"I know the ways of the trees, as well as the Earth, Sea, and Sky," said Legolas, "I am an Elf, not a foolish child like yourself!"  
  
The red wall rumbled as Firestorm lowered his head and peered through the trees, eyeing Legolas suspiciously. He snorted a few sparks out of his nostrils.  
  
"Watch it Elfie" taunted Naurglahad, "Anyways, this is a different type of tree. It has been planted from an unusual seed that I have received from the Eagles. Not only that, but it has been fed Dragon blood, thus, giving it extraordinary healing powers," she looked at Feanaro, "Feanaro's burning mouth for example. And speaking of that, you must have fed the poor thing a whole chili pepper!"  
  
"Chili pepper?" asked Legolas, "You mean that red deviltry that was in the red pouch? My word, don't tell me that had Dragon blood in it too!"   
  
"No," said Naurglahad. She sighed and patted Feanaro on the head, "That had Dragon scales in it"  
  
"You put mithril in an energizer?"  
  
"Well yes! All parts of the Dragon serve for thousands of things. That's everything from the claws to the saliva. Actually, if you extract the venom from it, I hear it goes pretty good on waffles…"  
  
Legolas blanched. He really had no idea what exactly a waffle was, but if it had Dragon spit on it, he didn't want to know. Naurglahad cocked her head and went back to Firestorm, who snorted a few sparks at Legolas again.   
  
"Well," said Naurglahad after she had climbed on Firestorm's back, "come on!"  
  
"Why?" asked Legolas, "Where are we going?"  
  
"Somewhere far away from my tree!" exclaimed Naurglahad, "Leave it alone!"  
  
"Fine then"  
  
He made to mount Feanaro again, but Naurglahad thrust a hand out.  
  
"Do not ride him," she commanded, "Feanaro is weary and deserves an easier walk back to civilization. We will let him canter behind"  
  
"And you will let me walk beside him?"  
  
"No. That will take too long. You can ride on Cerulean"  
  
Booming noises were heard as the blue Cold-drake appeared from within the darkness. She sat on the grass next to Firestorm and gazed at Legolas curiously. Legolas stepped back.  
  
"You want me to ride on that thing?" he burst out.  
  
"Of course!" said Naurglahad as if this was the most obvious thing in the world, "You don't expect me to share my seat with you do you? Besides, Cerulean is a nice little Dragon and wouldn't hurt a fly unless I told her to!"  
  
"Nice? Little?" said Legolas, staring at how sharp her long claws were and how her bowed head already grazed three-quarters up most of the trees. "You must be joking!"  
  
"I'm not" Naurglahad snapped her fingers. Cerulean got up, grabbed Legolas by the collar with her teeth, and flung him up on her back. "Now just hold on to the shoulders. It's like…sitting on an Ent, sort of"  
  
She blew the whistle. Feanaro came to Naurglahad's side and stood obediently. Firestorm and Cerulean began marching forward, sending thunder-like sounds through the forest.   
  
This was definitely a new experience for Legolas, whom had never, like most sane people, ridden on a full-grown Dragon. Sitting on the hard scales were terribly uncomfortable in comparison to Feanaro's soft, smooth back. There weren't too many places to grab hold of without fear of getting his hand bitten off. As a Cold-drake, the crowns of larger scales on Cerulean's head were also dangerous. They were like shark fins, except harder and sharper.   
  
Suddenly, Cerulean roared ferociously and reared up high, slightly thrashing. Naurglahad and Firestorm turned. A Spider had jumped out from above and struck Cerulean on her stomach, dark blood spilling from the wound. Legolas fell from his perch and fell to the ground, right in front of the Spider. It turned on him snapping its pincers menacingly. Firestorm cowered in fear of being slashed on his belly. He was a Cold-drake and at the moment could not attack him from close range.  
Realizing this, Naurglahad gave a few blasts on her whistle. Malta the gold crossover came to their side this time. She transferred herself onto his back by jumping quickly jumping off Firestorm's back and clinging to Malta's neck. He took immediate orders and shot a jet of flames at the Spider. Just as the blaze was ignited, the Spider bit Legolas. He cried out in pain as he felt the pincers grip his arm and nearly tear it off. But the pain turned from a sting to a burn as he sensed the heat of the fire blast at the Spider. His arm was released.  
  
The Spider screeched a nasty sound as it burst into flame and withered to the ground. Legolas' next few memories were very blurred as the poison coursed rapidly through his veins. He was getting faint from both the venom and from loss of blood. He only remembered two green eyes. That, and warm breath.  
  
  
** ~*~**  
  
  
  
Hours later, Legolas woke to the scent of a boiling hot stench in the air. He opened his eyes. He was in a dimly lit cave with a very high ceiling. Naurglahad was a few yards away from him, stirring an unknown substance in a pot over a blue fire. His arm was wrapped in a black cloth, and he felt as if he had just been put in an oven for an hour.  
  
"Oh, you're awake" she announced when she noticed Legolas making an attempt to sit up. "Can't tell whether that's a good or bad thing. And don't sit up!"  
  
"Ow!" Legolas felt a sharp pain in his right shoulder blade. It seemed to be broken. Naurglahad shook her head as she went back to her cooking. After a few minutes, she used the spoon to tip a few drops of the substance onto a damp cloth, and went over to him.  
  
"This might hurt a bit," she cautioned, "so I'm going to do this as quickly as I can" She dabbed the moist cloth over his arm. Legolas seethed as he felt a pain like burning acid course through the blood in his forearm. It smoked white fumes and stank. He winced.  
  
"What is this?" he strained.  
  
"Heated Dragon blood," said Naurglahad quickly, "See? Didn't I tell you how useful a Dragon could be? Oh!" she unclipped a blue flask from her belt and handed to Legolas, "Drink this"  
  
He gave her a quizzical look before raising an eyebrow.   
  
"How do I know this isn't some kind of poison that will give me some kind of disease or even worse, kill me?"  
  
"Why would it be poison?!" snapped Naurglahad, "Why would I be trying to kill you? Stupid… It's for your burn! Powdered Dragon scale mixed with the dew from that tree. It'll work for you as it did for Feanaro"  
  
Legolas blinked. "Feanaro? Feanaro! Where is he?"  
  
"Outside. Tethered next to Vedi. Now drink!"  
  
Legolas did as he was told and tipped the flask with his left hand to drink. As soon as he had swallowed, it seemed as if an arctic wave had passed through his body, alleviating the burn in his skin.   
  
"Now," said Naurglahad, taking the flask from Legolas and pushing him back down in a lying position, "Repeat after me: Dragons are the most wonderful and useful creatures in all of Arda"  
  
Legolas said nothing, a lost and confused expression on his face. Naurglahad whacked him on the head with her spoon.  
  
"Say it!"  
  
Legolas groaned. "Dragons are the most wonderful and useful creatures in all of Arda"  
  
"Good. Now say: Naurglahad has just saved my life. I will not irk her or defy her ever again"  
  
"Naurglahad has just saved my life," Legolas shuddered at the thought, "I will not irk her or defy her ever again"  
  
"Thank you very much. Now rest. I cant stand the sight of you recovering from a severe injury any longer. Maybe you'll die in your sleep! Ill be happy then because I was just 'too late to save you'"  
  
Legolas twitched as he turned on his side and relaxed. He addressed a mental note to himself, saying to remember to kick Naurglahad one day when she wasn't looking.   
  
  



	3. Blood of a Beast

  
"Legolas? Legolas? Legolas!"  
  
Legolas snapped his eyes open. The first thing he saw were two green eyes glaring to his own. He jerked.  
  
"When I said that maybe you'd die in your sleep," said Naurglahad, "I wasn't seriously considering it!"  
  
"You weren't seriously considering to kill me," yawned Legolas, "How strange…"  
  
"Shut yo' face," snapped Naurglahad, "we have to get a move on! Its noon right now and, you've been asleep for the ever since noon yesterday!"  
  
"Yesterday? Has it been that long?"  
  
"It has, now get up!"  
  
She went up in front of him and pulled him up by his hands. Grabbing a torch from the wall, she went into the far corner of the cave where Cerulean lay, sleeping. Naurglahad examined the wound on her stomach for a few minutes before sighing in satisfaction.  
  
"She looks all right," she confirmed, "But that's not the point at the moment. Your father will get really angry if you donut show up soon. He'll think I've had lost you in the mountains or something." She held the torch up in the air with her right arm, revealing that half of her sleeve was missing.  
  
"What happened to you?" asked Legolas, "You finally got bitten by your Dragons?"  
  
"Look on your arm, bud," grunted Naurglahad without turning around. Legolas looked at his bandaged arm. He suddenly recognized the material was the same as Naurglahad's tunic. He also noticed that the sling on his arm was her cloak. For once he realized, that Naurglahad had actually sacrificed something of hers for him.   
  
~*~  
  
  
"Where are Legolas and Naurglahad?" thought Thranduil, "They've been gone overnight…I hope they're all right"  
  
"You need to learn how to shut up."  
  
"You and your foul other-world language! Ill never understand you"  
  
"Ill never understand you!"  
  
"Its not my fault that you are non-comprehendible and that I am superior beyond your knowledge!"  
  
"Shut your mouth Elf"  
  
"Antolle uluma sulrim"  
  
"HA! Little did YOU know that I am beyond your time, and that I have been studying Quenya behind your back, and HOW DARE you tell me that wind pours from my mouth! Auta minqula yrchA's!"  
  
"Nasty! Orcs probably donut even brush their teeth! Besides, donut say I should kiss one!"  
  
"You're an idiot"  
  
"Right, change the subject…"  
  
Naurglahad burst through the door, closely followed by Legolas. He pushed her through the doorway, and Naurglahad punched him lightly in the stomach. He retorted by kicking her foot. She tripped him. He yanked her foot down. She got up and shoved him. He shoved her back. They kept beating each other, laughing and shouting insults at one another.  
  
"I've been swearing for the last three years," shouted Naurglahad. "And I make it a promise! You will die!"  
  
"Not if my arrow finds your face first," replied Legolas coolly.  
  
Thranduil shook his head as he walked away, muttering about the absurdity of how Legolas had suddenly devolved to mere childhood. But he grinned at the thought that he was at least somewhat getting along with his 'enemy'. Even as he turned round the corner, he could still hear them laughing and shouting. Naurglahad punched him lightly in the stomach. Legolas kept walking. She shoved him again, but this time, slammed into the wall on his right arm. He seethed at the blow. Though his arm was better, it was still healing.  
  
"Uh-oh" muttered Naurglahad. She went to Legolas' side and examined his arm closely.  
  
What she didn't know was that Legolas was plotting. He grabbed her hand with his left, and pushed her over on the floor. He quickly turned and raced down the hall, taunting Naurglahad in a singy-songy voice.  
  
"You!" screamed Naurglahad, "You fool of an Elf! Ill get you!" She scrambled to her feet and sprinted after Legolas, both their footsteps and, their laughter ringing throughout Mirkwood.  
  
From high above in another tree, Wethrinaer, Thranduil's closest advisor stood, drumming his fingers on one of the branches. He had just witnessed the banter between the Mortal and the Elf, and how Thranduil had just walked away from it. He would have to talk to Thranduil, before anything too dangerous happened.  
  
** ~*~**  
  
"How many uses for Dragon blood have you discovered?" asked Legolas the next morning. This time, C-chan, Megan, and Jackie were with them.  
  
"Lost count around fifty," replied Naurglahad, "There's things for cuts, bruises, oil, polishing wax, paint, sometimes it looks good in margarita, it makes a great water balloon if you burn it-"  
  
"So that's why it was so hard the last time you dropped something on my head," grumbled C-chan. Megan snickered.  
  
"Did you tell him how well Dragon spit goes on waffles?" suggested Jackie. Legolas turned away this time. She laughed as she whispered to Naurglahad "I made that up."  
  
"I heard that," said Legolas.  
  
"Shit," cursed Jackie, "Stupid Elves and their stupid sharp hearing. Cant tell you guys private secrets anymore!"  
  
Naurglahad sighed and shook her head as C-chan and Megan laughed. The five of them continued their walk through the woods without a clue of the discussion that was taking place inside the palace.  
  
"You know Thranduil," said Wethrinaer as he paced around the room, "Legolas seems lonely at times. I know he is over the usual age for romance, but he is a fine person to make a link with another Elf realm."  
  
"I have overlooked that," said Thranduil, "But I haven't found a single maiden that has truly passed his approval!"  
  
"Then we should let him search for himself," stated Wethrinaer, "You will have no luck in this type of situation."  
  
"I understand your point," replied Thranduil, "But what intrigues me the most, is that how you've suddenly become interested in my sons affairs," he looked suspiciously at Wethrinaer.  
  
He sighed. "I see Dark times my Lord," he confirmed, "Legolas should find an Elf for support, or the course of the Elven race will take another ill turn."  
  
He peered out the window where Legolas had leaped up a tall tree and called at Naurglahad. She shouted back, shaking her fist at him. He merely laughed and pointed at her, until he fell out of the tree branches. Looking up, he saw that Megan and Jackie had forced him out. Before he could react, Naurglahad had attacked him, and now both of them were running in and out between the trees.  
  
"What do you suggest I do then?" asked Thranduil, breaking the silence.  
  
"Send Legolas out," said Wethrinaer quickly, "We can send him out with two companions, one male, and the other female. Let him decide whom to take with him. Well give him a couple months to search and well keep in contact"  
  
Thranduil closed his eyes and put his hands together. "This is your wisest choice?" Wethrinaer nodded. "Then so be it."  
  
  
** ~*~ **  
  
  
"Hey Naurglahad?"  
  
Naurglahad put down the pestle she was using to crush a few Mallorn leaves into powder. She tipped it into a tin container and set it down on a shelf near the Dragon inccubary. She examined the progress of the eggs before turning around.  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
"My father," said Legolas, "has asked that one male and one female depart Mirkwood with me in search of my wife."  
Naurglahad raised an eyebrow. "And your point is?"  
  
"C-chan didn't want to, Megan wasn't up to it, and Jackie just laughed in my face. I donut want to take any of the Elf-maids because one, they are not experienced in completing long journeys, and two; they talk too much for me. That only leaves you"  
  
Naurglahad paused for a while, crossing her arms and bowing her head, thinking. "If you find a wife," she said finally, "does that mean that there is the possibility of you going far away?"  
  
Legolas sighed. "Yes. It does,"  
  
"Far, far, _far_ away?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
"I'm in."  
  
"Good...I hope."  
  
He turned and began to walk away when Naurglahad called, "Who's the male going with you?"  
  
"Father suggested Wethrinaer's son, Elenwe," said Legolas.  
  
"Great," Naurglahad sat down on a nearby stool in front of Vedi's stall, "Now there's _two_ spoiled palace brats,"  
  
"Ha ha. Very funny." he grumbled, "I should have asked one of the elf maids."  
  
  
** ~*~**  
  
  
"Elenwe. Son," said Wethrinaer quietly that night as he sat on a chair outside, behind the kitchens, "I need to talk to you"  
  
"About what father?" asked Elenwe, "If it concerns the journey, then you needn't be worried. I can take care of myself"  
  
"I know that already," snapped Wethrinaer, "Its not you I am anxious about. Its the female that is going with you"  
  
"Naurglahad? You needn't worry there either. She has confirmed that she won't do anything severely harmful to Master Lego-"  
  
"Not that way," interrupted Wethrinaer, "In another route she could do damage, not just to Legolas, but to our whole race!"  
  
Elenwe paused. "In what way father?"  
  
Wethrinaer looked up at the stars. "Legolas needs to keep away from the Mortals, or he may become like Mithrandir and the halflings, to sink so low as to build stronger relationships with other breeds. And if Legolas gets close to any mortal, it better not be this one."  
  
He thrust a metal plate at Elenwe's feet. It was a 'WANTED' poster with a hologram image of Naurglahad on it. Judging by the craftsmanship, it must have come from the Dragon-Realm.  
  
"Where did you get this?" asked Elenwe, somewhat horrified.  
  
"I found it," muttered Wethrinaer, "in that colossal machine that Naurglahad calls Inugami. Read what is listed." Elenwe read the information programmed on the hologram.  
  
_**WANTED**  
__Naurglahad Ryunarasu  
Age: 16- 20 years old  
Height 5'6 –5'9  
Description: Brown hair, green eyes, tall  
Wanted for: Thievery, assassination, terrorism, and domestication of illegal foreign creatures. Bounty Hunter.   
Reward: 12 _[a very strange symbol for money was written here]  
_Sentence: Death._  
  
  
"Are you sure this is the right Naurglahad?" asked Elenwe cautiously. Wethrinaer nodded confidently.  
  
"There are no other Nahekas. And that picture is just like her!"  
  
Elenwe looked down at the hologram image. Naurglahad was wearing black leather and an even more complicated arsenal with different, dangerous looking weapons. Instead of a sword, she had a forearm's length gun, and the crossbow she would carry on her back was a great black missile launcher. Capsules and cartridges lined her hips, and only a single knife was strapped to her thigh. She was winking through the green target locater clipped over her right eye, and at the bottom of the image there was a tiny inscription reading:  
  
_ In memory of Photographer Agent #6837251_  
  
  
"Well," said Elenwe, "it does look like her a lot. But what do you want me to do?"  
  
Wethrinaer grinned evilly. "I'm glad you asked me that question Elenwe"  
  
He reached behind his back and somehow he mysteriously pulled out a long black case with gold engravings. He unhooked the latch and lifted the lid.  
"In another language," said Wethrinaer "Ryunarasu means 'Dragon Tamer'," He reached inside the case a pulled out a polished lengthy black arrow "They say the tip of this arrow has part of the arrow that slew Smaug the Golden" He handed the arrow delicately to Elenwe "If anything happens between Legolas and Naurglahad, I want you to use this arrow, and slay the Dragon. Do you understand?"  
  
Elenwe examined the arrow. He felt a wave of energy move along its slim figure. This was definitely no ordinary arrow.  
  
"You mean," whispered Elenwe "kill her?"  
  
"Aim for her neck" finished Wethrinaer "She will die much quicker that way."  
  
He got up and left Elenwe to think about his task. Elenwe stood alone under the stars for a long time. He didn't notice someone approach from behind.  
  
"Hi, Elenwe!"  
  
Elenwe whipped around. Naurglahad was standing there with a bundle in her arms. Fall wind blew her hair across her face, and the moonlight shone pale on her skin, illuminating her green eyes, which shone brightly against the darkness of the night. Elenwe gulped.  
  
"Look!" Naurglahad exclaimed. She unwrapped the bundle in her arms. A tiny baby Dragon was nestled in her arms, looking around wildly and snapping at the air. It was an iridescent shade of copper with a slim body. Two producing gleaming white teeth were lodged in its gum.   
  
"I reckon it's a male Peruvian Vipertooth," said Naurglahad, "Just hatched a few hours ago" She tickled his chin. He snorted a few sparks from his nostrils and snapped at Elenwe "Aww," sighed Naurglahad "He's just like his daddy, Firestorm! We should give you a name now, shouldn't we?"  
  
Elenwe just stood there and stared at Naurglahad as she started pacing around, trying to think of a good name. It seemed odd to him, that how a wanted bounty hunter and assassin could be so…tender and loving. She cared for this poisonous beast as if it were a human child, yet her records showed that she could murder someone and walk away from it. He didn't know whether he felt scared, confused, or, heaven forbid, affection.  
  
  



	4. More than Flying

**Disclaimer:** I do not own LOTR, JRR Tolkien does. I own Naurglahad, Elenwe and the Dragons.  
  


* * *

  
** I STAND ALONE**  
  
  
"It's a shame," said Naurglahad as she fastened her cloak, "that I have to leave right after this one hatched" She picked up the baby Dragon, who's name was Joey, and handed him over to C-chan, "Now I want you to take care of him," she warned, "If any child of any of my Dragons gets hurt, I swear, I will come over and-" She made a violent motion in the air. C-chan nodded and gulped. Naurglahad grinned.  
  
"Hurry now, hurry now" said Thranduil "You haven't all the time in the world to waste Legolas! Be off on your quest! And don't come back until you find her!"  
  
"Have faith father" said Legolas "We will return with a fourth member"  
  
"Enough standing around" interrupted Naurglahad "Your father is right, we don't have all the time in the world to waste. Let's go!"  
  
Legolas sighed and shook his head. "Namarie!"  
  
"Namarie" called Elenwe.  
  
"See you in a couple months!" finished Naurglahad. She slapped her horse's rear, causing it to vault on two legs and take off rapidly and wildly. "Go, Eressea! Go! Go!"  
  
Legolas grumbled angrily as he and Elenwe rushed after Naurglahad on their horses, dust trailing behind them like smoke off a moving train. Thranduil, his court, C-chan, Megan, and Jackie stood there until not even the Elven eyes could see them.  
  
'You had better remember your duties Elenwe,' thought Wethrinaer. 'You better take that shot.'  
  
  
**~*~**  
  
  
"Okay! We are now definitely out of eyesight!" said Naurglahad excitedly two hours later. She pulled back on the reins and slowed Eressea to a halt. Legolas and Elenwe also stopped, wondering why Naurglahad had stalled. She got off Eressea and unloaded the supplies strapped on his back. Then, she pulled out the familiar whistle from one of the packages. Legolas groaned.  
  
"Oh no. Must you bring those gigantic, hideous beasts with us?"  
  
"Dragons are gigantic," said Naurglahad "but they are not hideous. They are hideous only to those who fear them, I do not fear them, I befriend them" She blew the whistle hard and loud "Though you are an Elf, I see faults in your wisdom. Do not judge creatures or things before you get to know them"  
  
Legolas scoffed, Elenwe bowed his head and nodded.  
  
"See?" said Naurglahad suddenly "Elenwe listens to me!" She went up to him and gave him a tight hug. Elenwe blushed. Legolas looked disgusted. "Why don't you listen to me Greenleaf? You scum bag fool of an Elf?"  
  
"Mithrandir would hit you round the head if he heard you say that" muttered Legolas.  
  
The deafening sound of beating wings came to their attention as Malta the gold crossover landed on the ground on two legs, revealing a large plate of steel armor on his belly. He also wore a helm over his eyes. He looked like a massive gold and iron tower with wings and teeth.  
  
"Well Mithrandir isn't here now is he?" mocked Naurglahad. She mounted Malta over his bowed head and settled herself in the usual spot behind his head and over his wings. Elenwe gazed at him in awe, sitting on his horse, paralyzed.  
  
"No!" demanded Legolas "No. We are _not _riding over Caradhas to Imladris on a Dragon! I will not stand for it!"  
  
"Who asked you?" spat Naurglahad "You didn't even ask if Elenwe wanted a ride or not! You've completely forgotten your manners you pompous bratty Elf person!"  
  
Legolas gasped in shock. "How _dare_ you oppose me, you defiant rogue from Morgai!"  
  
"Why, thank you!" exclaimed Naurglahad. She turned to Elenwe. "So option one, we continue our journey with incredibly slow progress and reach Caradhas by the end of the Fifth Age, or option two, we ride on the Dragons, which I might add is a once in a lifetime for everyone else thing, and get to Rivendell in three-seconds flat. What do you choose?"  
  
Elenwe raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Obviously, you're going to make us go on Dragons anyway, and if we refuse, we get burned to a crisp. I select option two"  
  
"Another point to Elenwe!" cheered Naurglahad "Congratulations! You have just won a front seat to one of the finest Dragons in the world, overcome stupidity and used your brain in a suggestion of sarcasm, _and_ proved that Legolas is a boring prat!" She blew the whistle again, summoning Ikaika, whom was also wearing plated armor.  
  
"Both of you," ordered Naurglahad "take off your parcels, sling them on Ikaika, the black Dragon, and grab a seat!"  
Elenwe got his luggage and went over to Ikaika who, to Elenwe's bewilderment, took them and held them in his arms. Legolas did the same, yet with furious reluctance. Naurglahad made her way toward the horses. She stripped off the reins from Eressea, linked it to the saddle, and tied it to a rope. Then, she fixed the rope around the neck of Feanro and Elenwe's horse.  
  
"Go back to Mirkwood, Eressea" Naurglahad whispered in Eressea's ear, as she finally attached a note of excuse to his bridle. He nodded and pulled around back to Mirkwood, dragging the other two behind him.  
  
"Okay!" she announced finally "Just follow the gold, and if you get lost, Ikaika knows where to fly"  
  
"Is this safe?" asked Legolas.  
  
"Nope!" said Naurglahad cheerfully, as if this were the best thing in the world to happen.  
  
"Aren't you riding with us?" asked Elenwe. Legolas slapped his forehead.  
  
"Don't invite her with us you _unguer_!" he muttered.  
  
"Ooh!" said Naurglahad sarcastically "That's right, full marks on the subject of courtesy for Legolas! Well done! And no, I'll be on my own steed. The Dragon Tamer stands alone." She caught Elenwe's eye. He gasped slightly. She had addressed herself as Dragon Tamer. Naurglahad grinned evilly and slapped Malta's neck. He beat his wings and boost off into the air, Ikaika following at somewhat a distance.  
  
It was definitely an exhilarating experience for Elenwe, who cried in joy to be high among the clouds for the first time in his life. Legolas, whom had once accidentally caught a ride on a Dragon's tail in his past few little escapades with Naurglahad, was not exultant in the least. He had remembered the tales of all the great Dragons, like Glaurung, the Father of all Dragons, who had slaughtered thousands of Elves, Men, and Dwarves at Nargathrond under the consent of Morgoth. How Naurglahad could stand caring for these winged mutated serpents, he would never figure.  
  
"Alright," said Naurglahad "I'm going to leave you guys alone for a while, 'cause I'd like to get out of the begining, and into mediocrity."  
  
To Elenwe's amazement, she easily rose from her seat and stood on Malta's back, as if he were just a solid plank of wood on the ground. She paced around a bit, back and forth with her arms extended for balance.  
  
"Then, we go to adequate," she drawled, now ascending to Malta's helm and standing on the edge with one foot, assuming the Tree position in Yoga. She slowly turned around with her back facing the wind. "And now," she blew the whistle three times "Elite!"  
  
Elenwe and Legolas gasped in shock as Naurglahad jumped backward and into thin air, screaming like you would on a roller coaster. Just in time, Jade came and caught her on her head. Naurglahad didn't stop there. She performed a series of forward flips down her spine before flipping right off her tail. Firestorm came round this time, and flapped his wings, creating a jet of wind. Naurglahad boosted off of this and grabbed hold of Asira's palm, who had been summoned by the third whistle. Asira rolled over in the aerial, giving Naurglahad the opportunity to run across her belly and jump off the edge one last time. Malta caught her in mid-air, resulting the act in the same spot Naurglahad had started, and sitting comfortably over his wings.  
  
She was laughing hysterically as she raised her arms in the air before flopping over in exhaustion.  
  
Elenwe applauded while Legolas coughed and hacked from shock. Naurglahad raised a finger in the air. "_I'm alive!_" as Jade, Firestorm, and Asira flew in a synchronized alignment for a few minutes before heading back to Mirkwood. She wiped a single bead of sweat from her brow before calling to the two Elves:  
  
"Want a go?"  
  
"No thank you," said Elenwe putting a hand up. Legolas shook his head vigorously.  
  
"Fine with me," said Naurglahad. "Now, I'm tired. Good day to you Elenwe! And to Legolas, I hope your day sucks like crap!"  
  
"It already does," mumbled Legolas.  
  
In his eyes, he could have sworn the sky had blackened and lightening struck as Naurglahad laughed evilly. When the storm subsided, Naurglahad accelerated and flew off far ahead in front of Ikaika. Only a glint of gold could be seen from their view.  
  



	5. Faded Black and Gold

**Disclaimer:** I do not own The Lord of the Rings. It belongs to JRR Tolkien.  
  


* * *

** I STAND ALONE**  
  
The fire was out, supper had been eaten, and all activities were put to a rest. Naurglahad had immediately disappeared behind a ledge with Malta and Ikaika, for a more clandestine place to sleep without the opposite gender of a more domesticated species around. Elenwe and Legolas, whom were both Elves, did not need sleep and stayed up the night, talking.  
  
"I hate her," said Legolas quietly "She's atrocious, immodest, and just plain rude"  
  
"Well," said Elenwe "She really shouldn't be that bad. I mean she raises living creatures-"  
  
"You mean monsters" interrupted Legolas. Elenwe shook his head.  
  
"Perhaps the Nazgul bird, the Email, the Kraken, and the Dragons are monsters, but she cares for the Tindomerel, Swans, and has conversations with Eagles"  
  
"Oh, so you think of her as a fun-loving nature girl whom all the little animals and peoples love?"  
  
"In a way, yes"  
  
"El? She just executed gymnastics on Dragons, insulted me a hundred times, dumped a dead flying rodent at my feet, and dumped the water from the noodles on my head!"  
  
"Note that she's mostly been picking on you," said Elenwe, crossing his arms and leaning back against a rock wall "Perhaps that'd be the reason why you hate her so much?"  
  
"Yes. And also note that she compliments you for almost everything you do, doesn't annoy you on purpose, and gives you a hug for each time you say something nice to her"  
  
Elenwe sighed and tilted his head. A mischievous, child-like thought came to his mind.  
  
"You're jealous aren't you?" he taunted.  
  
"Jealous?" asked Legolas in bewilderment "Jealous of what?"  
  
"That Naurglahad likes me better than she does you!" He slapped his leg and began to laugh. Legolas reddened, yet it was hard to tell if it was from embarrassment or resentment.  
  
"That's absurd!" sputtered Legolas "Why would I be jealous of that?"  
  
"Funny," said Elenwe, turning away from him "Of all people, Id thought that you'd know…"  
  
"Now you've got it too!" gasped Legolas "You're into taunting me now!"  
  
"No, its just obvious…"  
  
"As Prince of Mirkwood, I order you to keep your mouth still!"  
  
"Fine then" said Elenwe. He crossed his arms and assumed his previous position, leaning back against the wall. He kept a smirk on his face as he hummed a little tune to himself, satisfied with the damage that he had done. Legolas was in silent fury, keeping to himself and drumming his fingers on his arms, which he also had crossed. Elenwe continued to hum for quite some time, before Legolas realized that he was humming an elvish love song.  
  
"You fool!" Legolas seethed as he stood and yanked Elenwe up by the collar. Elenwe just laughed. Legolas was about to insult him gravely in Sindarin when suddenly the ground started shaking. Elenwe tugged Legolas into a fissure as booming noises started sounding. Something big was coming, something very big. By the crash, they figured there were two giant beasts with four legs.  
  
Naurglahad woke up and headed around her ledge in search of the two Elves. She drew her crossbow as she ran, while looking around for the approaching creatures. She jumped over a small boulder, ducked under a rock bridge, and stopped at a corner. Sensing something around it, she readied her crossbow. She jumped aside.  
  
"Hold it-"  
  
"Oh Eru Naurglahad!" cried Legolas covering his eyes. Elenwe turned away "Please! Put on a shirt!"  
  
"What?"  
  
Naurglahad looked down at herself. She was wearing a strapless black top and tight long pants. She instantly assumed how important modesty was to Elves. Modesty must have been a feature in impression and rank, and therefore, should not be violated, especially in the presence of a Prince and his advisor.  
  
"I couldn't care less about your little order and rules," said Naurglahad with a smile. Legolas was horrified. Elenwe had still turned away. "But that's not the point. Malta and Ikaika are already out searching for whatever is thundering about tonight and I'm sure they'll take both beasts-" She stopped mid-sentence as a huge rocket-like sound came from behind them.  
  
Malta and Ikaika were thrown into the scene, crashing into rocks and debris. They had equally been burned, scratched, and bruised. Their steel armor had holes punched brutally into them, and blood stained their helms. Naurglahad was near tears as she rushed toward each of them, watching their shimmering blood trickle down their gleaming scales from their ruthless wounds. Their eyes were burning out, like a lit candle in the wind.  
  
"Naurglahad," said a low voice from Ikaika.  
  
Naurglahad jumped. Ikaika's mouth hadn't moved, yet she could've sworn he had just spoken to her.  
  
"Naurglahad," said another deep voice, this one from Malta.  
  
She started to perspire cold sweat.  
  
"Naurglahad," said the voice coming from Ikaika. His mouth was not moving. "We have failed you."  
  
"We are dying," said Malta "But we die in the knowledge that you had loved us like a mother"  
  
"And we love you" said Ikaika "as your sons"  
  
Tears flowed from Naurglahad's face like a soft waterfall. They fell from her cheek and splattered on Ikaika's black coat and Malta's gold wings. These were her children, saying that they loved her, at the last moments of their life. Elenwe and Legolas watched her wail, forgetting the modesty conflict.   
  
"Where ever we go," said Malta "Where ever we fly,"  
  
"We will always love you," said Ikaika.  
  
"As you had loved us"  
  
"But beware of the Others"  
  
"They are out for you"  
  
Naurglahad had turned pale. She wanted to ask who 'The Others' were, but her lips were stiff.  
  
"Good bye," they said together "Good bye, dear Mother"  
  
They both closed their eyes peacefully. Their limbs rested. They were dead.  
  
Naurglahad screamed and fell to her knees. Elenwe and Legolas came to her side, and to both Elves wonder, Naurglahad collapsed into tears in Legolas' arms, crying and sobbing at full volume. It would have been quite a sight to see for everyone who had crossed Naurglahad or known that she and Legolas were archenemies. Legolas looked at Elenwe in plead for support. Elenwe shrugged his shoulders. Calming others after death was not an expert subject for him. But Legolas, who had suffered the 'loss' of Gandalf in Moria, the departure of Boromir, the Battle of Hornburg, and the Battle of the Pelennor Fields gently placed a hand on Naurglahad's   
bare shoulder. She continued to cry and held on tighter to Legolas. He sighed not in disgust, but in sympathy. Elenwe took a deep breath.  
  
"It's alright," he whispered "They died loving you, and you loved them."  
  
"As long as they cross over feeling loved," said Legolas "Then you have done your job."  
  
"And that's all that really matters."  
  
Naurglahad continued to weep for ten straight minutes, but finally she let go of Legolas and turned to the two dead Dragons that lay at her side. She stood in the cold wind for another long period of time, both strained tears and her hair blowing aside. Then, she went away and came back with a tube; small, short, and silver. She yanked off a small cap and cast it towards the dead dragon corpses. There was a gust of black wind, and nothing more. The bodies were gone.   
  
Naurglahad bowed and formed her right fingers into an odd contortion; her thumb pressed against her index, and the other three fingers flat and straight. She moved her hand to her forehead, then to her neck before making a sharp horizontal jerk across. In her own native language, she shouted, "_Malta e lapadoie! Ni Ikaika e hokuda! Itcimo an e salmade! Tio eku vutci!_... I cry for you no longer."  
  
  
  
That night, Naurglahad had a dream.  
  
It was like dejavu, except in her sleep. She sent Malta and Ikaika off as she got out her crossbow and quickly headed out of the scene. The picture followed the two Dragons as they made their way carefully over rocks and hills. Then, a shadow stretched across their view. They looked behind. Two Dragons, both about three times taller and larger than Malta and Ikaika stood there. They were shining pale in the moonlight. One was lavender with blue eyes, and the other silver with gold eyes. Both had a single slash mark over their left eye. They spoke to Malta and Ikaika in Dragon tongue, but in the dream, Naurglahad could understand them.  
  
"Bring the Betrayer to us" said the lavender Dragon.  
  
"What does Mother have to do with this?" spat Ikaika.  
  
"The Betrayer is not your mother," boomed the lavender.  
  
"Master Ryunarasu wants his daughter to come back home," said the silver Dragon.  
  
"She cannot!" roared Malta "She is on a mission with Prince Legolas and Advisor Elenwe!"  
  
"That is exactly why Master Ryunarasu need her back" thundered the lavender "Master knows that Advisor Elenwe will smite the Betrayer if she befriends Prince Legolas."  
  
"That's not true!" snarled Ikaika. "Be gone! You will not find our Mother!"  
  
"Fools."  
  
That was the last word that was spoken before the two strange Dragons attacked.  
  



	6. The Ice Cave

**Disclaimer: **Tolkien owns LOTR.  
  


* * *

  
** I STAND ALONE**  
  
  
"Well," sighed Naurglahad "I guess were going on foot over Caradhas aren't we?"  
  
"That is our only option" said Legolas "Wed best get our start now"  
  
Naurglahad looked up at Redhorn. It was the month of Hisime, or November, and snow was already falling on the mountains feet. This would make the journey much colder than any journey she had walked before. She had been to Caradhas a couple times, but that was during the summer. In winter, she wasn't sure if shed make it or not.  
  
This wouldn't be a problem for Legolas and Elenwe, as they were immune to the cold anyway [Are they immune to cold? I heard that somewhere, but I had always thought it was disease…] the journey would be long and tiring, but they had no troubles of whether they'd freeze to death or not.  
  
"Cant you just call the other Dragons to come take us over?" asked Elenwe.  
  
"No," said Naurglahad "The whistle is loud, but they wont be able to hear it from almost three-hundred miles away. And I don't want to risk their lives…as I did for   
Malta and Ikaika."  
  
"Please don't cry again," said Elenwe quickly.  
  
"Its all right," she muttered, "I refuse to…"  
  
Elenwe looked at Legolas who shrugged his shoulders.  
  
"_He_ wouldn't have allowed me to cry last night. He would've been ashamed to see me show my true feelings."  
  
She quickly fastened her cloak, pulled over her hood, and took off ahead of them.  
  
"Come on!" she called "We haven't the rest of our lives to do this!"  
  
Legolas and Elenwe followed, but they couldn't help wondering: who was 'he'? And why was 'Little Ryunarasu' not allowed to show her feelings? Elenwe had a slight idea, but he didn't want to think about it. It made him uncomfortable.  
  
For the first several hours of the climb, Naurglahad was in the lead. She had her tip-less gloves on, covering her palms with leather, so grabbing onto rocks was not much of a problem. She already had a tight grip, making it less difficult to slip and fall. At 9:30 AM, they had reached the early fallen snow. Naurglahad was in the lead only for one-quarter of this task. They had reached a lower angled surface, completely white with snow. Unlike Legolas and Elenwe who could walk on the flurry, she had to plow through the knee-high snow, eventually falling behind them. Morning turned into noon, and from noon to evening. Storms blew harder and snow fell thicker in the autumn dark. It clouded their vision of the stars and got them quite lost.  
  
"We should find a shelter!" shouted Elenwe through one particularly rough blizzard.  
  
"But where?" called Legolas.  
  
Naurglahad said nothing, but she pointed to an ice covered rock in a far corner of the hill they were walking up. She turned without a word toward the ice rock and began to trudge through the snow to it. Elenwe and Legolas hesitated, but followed.  
  
** ~*~**  
  
Reflections. Hundreds of reflections shone at the three as soon as they had stepped into the cave. It was all ice. Mirrors of all different, shapes, cuts, and sizes were embedded in the icy floor as crystals, hung on the walls, or pointed down at them as icicles. Frosty water dripped from the tips, and splattered on the floor, shattering the silence of the long tranquil cave.  
  
They admired the clean, sparkling ice for a while as they paced around the shelter. In time, they split up alone to scavenge for a dry place to rest in. Legolas turned right, into a straight hall, Naurglahad headed to the left, to climb up a staircase of ice, and Elenwe slid down a ramp to a wide frozen lake at the center fork.  
Legolas had no luck. He passed some interesting displays though. There were strangely cut ice blocks here and there, and beautifully smooth walls and floors. It was a very pleasant experience until Legolas came across a tiny inscription, written in Common Tongue saying:  
  
_Help me. I cannot get out. I'm stuck. Its coming after me._  
  
Legolas shuddered in reminiscence of Balin's Tomb in Moria. It was eerie down there, and it was starting to get eerie up here when he discovered a completely frozen mumakil in one of the walls. It was iced up in a rather disturbing contortion: head angled in a low position, trunk twisted up high, horns cracked, feet stumbling, and the rider upon the tower on its back, a rotting skeleton. Legolas decided to head back to the center where it was free of preserved bodies.  
  
Naurglahad wasn't having too much of a fun time either. The stairs were completely made of ice, and it was very slippery. Since the walls were so trim, she couldn't climb up the stairs either. Every time she made it up three steps, she slipped back down two steps. There were an exact total of 472 steps on this ladder, so, in utter failure, Naurglahad slid down her achieved climb, 5 steps, and went back to the center.   
  
"Where's Elenwe?" asked Legolas.  
  
Naurglahad rubbed her hands together and put them over her mouth and breathed in an attempt to warm up her lips. Through her cupped hands she said:  
  
"I don't know. Perhaps he's had some luck in finding a safe rest."  
  
There was a short pause.  
  
"We should go check on him," said Legolas.  
  
"Right."  
  
They sprinted down the middle corridor and dropped on the ramp. Snow had lightly covered the long slope. This gave them an idea for competition.  
  
"Ill race you down to the bottom!" exclaimed Naurglahad. Legolas shook his head.  
  
"No, you'll beat me too easily" he replied. Naurglahad grinned.  
  
"Exactly."  
  
"How about we slide down at the same pace," said Legolas "and whoever can make a better pattern in the snow wins"  
  
"Oh goody!" sang Naurglahad "Art education!"  
  
Legolas shook his head, but he couldn't help smirking as he lined up at the edge.  
  
"Ready when you are!" said Naurglahad.  
  
"all right then…go!"  
  
Legolas' pattern was a slick twirl of two lines, weaving in and out. As he accelerated, he added one or two leaves to the twist. Naurglahad's lines were in an unusual shape that Legolas could not figure. First she made a thick cross, then a long plane with looping figures in between.  
  
"Watch out!" called Legolas.  
  
Two medium sized blocks were parked right in front of them. Legolas skated around one, and Naurglahad the other. Behind that, was a series of tinier rocks, placed in random areas, just waiting to trip one of them? It was a close race about the stones. Eventually, they had to leap rows of ice to avoid tripping. Finally, the rocks cleared. Naurglahad turned to Legolas.  
  
"That was close," she said, slightly laughing in relief.  
  
Legolas nodded and smiled, but then his face turned pale. Naurglahad looked forward. There was a sheer drop right ahead of them. Where the fall resulted, neither of them knew.  
  
"Aiiiieeee!!!"  
  
FLUMP!  
  
"Legolas?"  
  
"Ouch. What?"  
  
"…Did we die?"  
  
"No! We're still alive!"  
  
"…Then why does the ground smell like hell?"  
  
Legolas sniffed the air. He was sickened by the foul stench that lingered in the cold atmosphere.  
  
"What is that?"  
  
"See? It smells like Mordor or something."  
  
"Mordor smells like gas. This place stinks of-"  
  
"Dead bodies," said a new voice.  
  
Naurglahad felt someone yank her out of the crumpled heap she and Legolas were in. It was, or course, Elenwe. She dusted the snow off her cloak as he helped Legolas to his feet.  
  
"What pattern were you making?" she asked Legolas.  
  
"Just a braid with leaves on it. What about you?"  
  
Naurglahad shot her hand like a viper at Legolas' waist, snatching one of his long knives.  
  
"I've always liked this knife," she sighed as she examined the intricate writing on its blade. "I want one" she handed it back to Legolas who took it and shoved it back into its scabbard.  
  
"I need both of my knives" he said, "You can go ask the Dwarves for your own tool."  
  
"Speaking of Dwarves," said Elenwe "look what I found."  
  
He walked away and stopped in the center of a frozen pond. Legolas and Naurglahad followed.  
  
"This cave," explained Elenwe "isn't just a cave" He bent down and brushed some snow aside. Under it, the ice solid body of a struggling Dwarf appeared. "Its a tomb."  
  
He pointed outward at the rest of the lake. Tiny dark figures could be seen below the frost, in all kinds of positions and expressions.  
  
"Ooh," said Naurglahad, imitating a sci-fi tone "Its a parallel ice dimension of Moria!"  
  
"But what are an army of Dwarves doing in a cave in Caradhas?" pondered Legolas aloud. "They shouldn't be here…" Naurglahad looked down at the preserved Dwarf bodies.  
  
"These aren't Dwarves."  
  
"What?" said Elenwe "They aren't?"  
  
"No," said Naurglahad, shaking her head "These are Easterlings… Or, well, that's what this one dude told me at Rohan. But I think he was skitzophranic or something. Jumping around madly... and stuff."  
  
"Impossible! What would Easterlings be doing in Caradhas?"  
  
"It seems that they were traveling across this pass when they decided to move out of Rhun, and got caved in or something"  
They stood there for a long time, examining the Easterlings clothing and weaponry. It seemed that if you would just prod the ice slightly, it would crack and disintegrate.  
  
"Hey guys?" asked Naurglahad.  
  
"Yeah?" said Legolas and Elenwe simultaneously.  
  
"Do you think that that blood all the way down there," she pointed deep under the ice "spewing from that decapitated body would still look that fresh even after about three-thousand years?"  
  
Legolas peered at the figure. Its head was off, but it didn't look cut. It looked like it was bitten off.  
  
"No…I don't think so…"  
  
Suddenly, booming noises were heard. The ice around them started cracking a bit. This creature had two legs, and was obviously, very, very big. Then, a vast shadow was cast over them and heavy, searing breath came down their backs. Naurglahad twitched.  
  
"There's a Snow-troll living in this cave, isn't there?"  
  
They turned around.   
  
One, giant, hairy Snow-troll stood there with an ice club in one hand and a slaughtered Easterling corpse in the other. Blood was smeared all over its lips and long teeth.  
  
"Oh look!" said Naurglahad gleefully, pointing up at the Troll "Its the abominable SnowMan!"  
  
She reached behind at her pack and got out a black contraption with a shiny glass lenses on it. She pushed a button at the top of it, and out came a bright flash. The Troll stood there paralyzed for a moment, and then it roared in anger, starting to swing its club about and stamping madly.  
  
"What did you do that for?!" shouted Legolas over the Troll's snarling, "You'll get us killed!"  
  
The Troll stomped hard on one section of the ice, causing it to crack. The crack made its way around it and the others, loosening it from the rest, and sliding across the frozen lake. The ice plane slid across the surface banging off into walls, jostling its passengers, and going everywhere. Naurglahad cheered.  
  
"This is fun!"  
  
"We're going to die!" screamed Legolas.  
  
"No were not!"  
  
Then, the ice planes smashed into another wall, breaking it open revealing a steep slide. Their level was tipping over at the edge. In its ignorant panic, the Troll scrambled off the plane and slammed itself firmly on the ice. Unfortunately, the Troll was too stupid to know that you should never slam four tons of weight onto a thin sheet of ice. The Troll cracked it and fell into the water beneath, just as the plane fell forward down the slide.  
  
"Noooow," drawled Naurglahad, "were going to die."  
  
  



	7. A Late Arrival

**Disclaimer:** Tolkien owns LOTR.  
  


* * *

  
  
** I STAND ALONE**  
  
  
All three of them screamed in horror as the ice plank dipped forward, and began to slide down the ramp. It was a dangerously steep hill, and eventually, it got harder to stay on this slippery plank. Legolas was the first one to skid off.  
  
"Help!"  
  
Naurglahad grabbed his hand and Elenwe held her back. Now both of them were starting to fall.  
  
"We can't live the ride like this!" shouted Naurglahad "We're going to fall off!"  
  
Then, the plane hit a rock. It cracked and split into two, Elenwe and Naurglahad on one, and Legolas on the other. Both planks were getting out of control, flying over slopes, crashing into rocks, and spinning. The plane Naurglahad and Elenwe were on hit another rock, splitting it in two. One half slid apart from them.  
  
"Budge up!" snapped Naurglahad "You're making me fall off!"  
  
"You're making me fall off!" said Elenwe. The other plank was still sliding alongside them.  
  
"Jump on the other plank!" he called. Naurglahad shook her head.  
  
"No way! You expect me to stand up and leap over one the other plank?"  
  
"Yes! You can do it!"  
  
"I'll fall off!"  
  
"You can do the same thing on a Dragon! You can do it on ice!"  
  
"Ice and Dragons are two different things! I'll slip! You go!"  
  
"No you!"   
  
"You!"  
  
"You!"  
  
"YOU!"  
  
"Geez!" shuddered Elenwe "Fine then!"  
  
He carefully got to his feet, balanced, and then jumped, barely landing on the second plank. He almost toppled over as he tried to balance on the plane while he was still standing. Eventually, he was riding it.  
  
"Hey!" he exclaimed, "This is fun!"  
  
"Good idea!" said Legolas. He too stood up on his ice plank and balanced himself. "Try it Naurglahad!"  
Naurglahad shook her head.  
  
"You're Elves! Remember?" she barked, "I'm human! Humans can't ride on ice!"  
  
"Maybe in your world they can't," said Elenwe.  
  
"But we're in Arda now!" said Legolas, "Who knows?"  
  
Naurglahad's left eye twitched aggregately, but nonetheless did the same as Elenwe. Finally, she was riding on both legs.  
  
"Just in time too," said Elenwe "Look ahead!"  
  
He pointed to the front. The slope was getting a bit higher, creating a jump into thin air.  
  
"We're all going to die," they whimpered simultaneously.  
  
They flew over the slope.  
  
**  
~*~**  
  
  
Elrond shook his head. The three travelers stood before him in his House, damp, frozen, and wind-blown. Elenwe looked exhausted, Legolas was paralyzed, and Naurglahad looked like she had the time of her life.  
  
"I wonder if we can find that ramp again?" she asked the other two. They shook their heads with a fearful look on their faces. Naurglahad grinned. "Of course we can! And during the summer, when we can bring everyone!"  
  
"Naurglahad?" said Legolas "You must be…what do you call it… 'High'"  
  
"Hey! I don't have any drugs or sugar with me do I?"  
  
"What. Happened. To. You?" asked Elrond with an up-tight tone. He looked quite upset at their unkempt arrival and that they were almost a week late. They smiled weakly at him.  
  
"Well," said Elenwe with discomfort "we found an ice cave in Cadhras,"  
  
"It had a Snow-troll in it" said Naurglahad.  
  
"And she flashed a bright light at its face" added Legolas, "By the way, why did you do that?"  
  
"It was called a camera. It takes pictures!"  
  
"Why would you want a picture of an ugly Snow-troll?"  
  
"Hey! You can get big cash for a photo of the abominable Snowman or Bigfoot!"   
  
"So it smashed up the ice floor," continued Elenwe.  
  
"Causing us to slide on a sheet of ice," said Naurglahad.  
  
"Through a thin ice wall," said Legolas.  
  
"Down a steep ramp."  
  
"Up a cliff."  
  
Naurglahad shoved Legolas. "It was a 'minor hill'! Remember?"  
  
"Yes!" he corrected "up a minor hill"   
  
"And then...we…erm…" Elenwe pondered aloud for the right word.  
  
"Flew" finished Naurglahad lamely.  
  
Elrond tutted. He clapped his hands.  
  
"Well, we should get you all cleaned up then," he walked away muttering under his breath as three Elf servants came and lead them away. "Up a cliff… my Eru, that is somewhat unimaginable."  
  
"I lived it, and I find it unbelievable!" shouted Naurglahad after him. She slapped her thigh and began laughing.  
  
** ~*~**  
  
  
"And don't forget!" sang one of the Elf maids after Naurglahad had been washed, dried, and dressed, "Banquet tonight at 7:00!" Naurglahad choked.  
  
"Banquet?" she asked completely lost and confused, "What banquet?!"  
  
"A feast to welcome the prince and his company of course!" said the maid "And you'll eat, and chat and dance and-"  
  
"Dance and chat?!…That wasn't in job description!"  
  
"Well maybe you should have read more carefully!"  
  
She bustled out of the room humming a little song herself. Naurglahad stood there alone in her room with her mouth hanging open.   
  
"How could I have read it? It was explained to me!" she called after her.  
  
She turned to face a standing mirror behind her. She paled. Now, not only was she forced to go to some social meeting with a whole bunch of people that she knew half as well as she'd like, and liked less than half of them as half as they deserved, but she was also decked up in style she did not prefer. She was wearing a green Elven dress with white trimmings and her hair was unusually shiny with an Elanor flower tucked behind her ear.  
  
"This is injustice!" she wailed loudly for all of Rivendell to hear "Get me out of here!!!"  
  
**  
~*~**  
  
  
"Beautiful gardens," sighed Elenwe to Legolas "I've never been to Imladris before,"  
  
Legolas closed his eyes and nodded. They stood together in the tranquility, Elenwe slowly rotating to admire the flowers and trees, as Legolas remained still, listening to the plants whisper and the light breeze sing. All was peaceful. Then-  
  
"Legolas!"  
  
They both whipped around. Naurglahad was rushing toward them with her fists clenched and face reddening. They gaped at her in her dramatic dress change. Everything from her head to her toes was different.  
  
"I was just fortunate enough to have the Elf ladies still let me keep my face the way it is!" she yelled aggregately.   
Legolas and Elenwe simply remained still. Legolas just had an eyebrow raised and Elenwe was blinking.  
  
"Elenwe!" she barked suddenly, "Did they tell you about this banquet shindig that they're having tonight?" Elenwe nodded. Naurglahad snapped at Legolas "Then it's your fault! You didn't tell me I had to go through this! You did this on purpose! You filthy little-"  
Legolas suddenly put a finger to her lips.  
  
"It's just a dance with food and people," he said quietly, "You don't need to make a big deal about it. Things like this will happen at every single Elf city we go to on our journey. You don't need to make a big deal about it." He put his hand down. Naurglahad began to twitch. He shook his head.  
  
"Now come on!" he said finally, "It's near 7:00 already and I don't want to be late!"  
  
He turned and walked out of the gardens, Elenwe in tow. Naurglahad skulked behind them, muttering like Elrond.  
  
  
~*~  
  
  
  
"Eighteen…nineteen…twenty-five-"  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
Naurglahad was standing in the corner of the room, peering at the Elves that were milling about and dancing. Some had sat down at a table to eat, while others were chattering away. Legolas, who had finished conversing with the head archer of Imldaris, followed Naurglahad into her corner.  
  
"You see that pack of girls over there that are kinda' following you around a bit?" asked Naurglahad, gently pointing to a group of Elf maidens that were a couple yards away from Legolas, whispering as they tried to look unsuspicious.  
  
"Yes," said Legolas, "What about them?"  
  
"You have fan girls! About thirty of them!"  
  
"Well," Legolas rolled his eyes, "I find that it happens a couple times, here and there…"  
  
"It happens where ever you go!" cut in Naurglahad, she began to pace around him. "Especially now, when they know you're looking for a wife!"  
  
"Alright. Then, what is your point?"  
  
"None of them are asking you to dance!"  
  
"Perhaps they're nervous or something?"  
  
Naurglahad's right eye twitched as she continued to spy on the fangirls. She stopped pacing.  
  
"None of them will get to know you too well if they don't ask you by themselves…and that will decrease the chances of you finding a wife, which means, you might not leave Mirkwood for the rest of your life!" She put one hand on her hip and the other in the air with a finger up. "Something must be done!" she proclaimed to Legolas in a heroic tone. Legolas slightly edged away from her.  
  
"You've been drinking the elvish wine haven't you?"  
  
"No!" said Naurglahad, maintaining her tone, putting her hand down, "I would never touch that stuff in a million years-" She smiled in recoil from the glare she got from Legolas, "Just kidding, finest wine in Middle-earth…"  
  
"Good," muttered Legolas, "So what's this 'plan' I assume you're hatching?"  
  
"Dance with me!"  
  
"What?!"  
  
Naurglahad smiled mischievously as she took his hand and led him out on the dance floor.  
  
"If those Elfies see their Prince Charming dancing with a Mortal," she explained, "They'll get ticked and go for the bait!"  
  
"Bait?" asked Legolas, getting nervous.  
  
"You," explained Naurglahad. "Now let's dance!"  
  



	8. The Imladris Banquet

**Disclaimer:** I do not own LOTR. J.R.R.Tolkien owns it.  
  


* * *

  
** I STAND ALONE**  
  
  
  
'This will not end well,' thought Legolas as he and Naurglahad began to dance among the others. It was an elegant little waltz-like composition, simply stepping delicately in coordination around in circles. Some people who were having conversations immediately switched the topic.  
  
"Look at that!" one of them exclaimed among their group, "Prince Legolas is dancing with the Mortal that everyone claims to be his worst enemy!"  
  
"I heard they were best friends," said another, "I think it's wonderful how Legolas has already made strong friendships with Dwarves, and Hobbits, and Mortals already!"  
  
"Perhaps he'd be a friend of Lord Aragorn," said a third, "But I'm not sure about those two,"  
  
"Who knows?"  
  
"Naurglahad?" whispered Legolas, starting to get nervous, "People are starting to stare at us,"  
  
"Are any of your fan girls staring?" said Naurglahad.  
  
"They're glaring at us!"  
  
"Are any of them coming this way?"  
  
"No, but they are getting angrier at the minute!"  
  
"Minutes are too slow! We need seconds!"  
  
The song they were dancing to ended, fading into a new song, one with a deliberate pace. Some people in the crowd gasped silently, the fan girls became outraged, and Elenwe and Elrond were torn between astonishment and laughter as Naurglahad pulled Legolas closer to her and leaned her head on his shoulder.   
  
"What are you doing?!" Legolas asked in panic, "Now everyone is staring!"  
  
"Couldn't care less!" said Naurglahad, tossing his concern away, "The plan is working! Oh goody!" She spotted an Elf maiden with gold hair and green eyes from the fan girl pack making her way toward Legolas. Naurglahad let go of him right on cue and hurried off the dance floor, leaving Legolas with his new partner. She sat down next to Elenwe who just stared at her in amazement.  
  
"Isn't that just beautiful?" inquired Naurglahad, opening her arms to Legolas and the Elf maiden dancing together. But then, the Elf maiden nearly tripped because she was too busy paying attention to his eyes. Legolas had to catch her from falling, causing the maiden to blush and giggle uncontrollably.  
  
Elenwe and Naurglahad sat back together on the side, hoping that their journey through Cadradhas was worth the trouble. Eventually, watching each fan girl go hysterical as they danced with Legolas got boring, so they abandoned their seats and went out into the garden.  
  
** ~*~**  
  
"She'll be this beautiful goddess whom everyone loves and knows and adores," predicted Naurglahad as she walked with Elenwe along the stone path.   
  
"And Legolas will love her very much!" added Elenwe.  
  
"And their kids will be heroes of Middle-earth, and they'll live in adoration too!"  
  
"Not all heroes are adored," said Elenwe quietly, "A lot of heroes will live abusive lives before they are respected,"  
  
"True," said Naurglahad, "Who do you think you'll end up getting married to?"  
  
"Some wretched evil looking girl that my father will assign to me," he sighed and looked up into the twilight. Just then, Naurglahad noticed, he was an Elf. Not through love of nature, or ability to walk on snow, but through stars. They glimmered in his eyes, which were filled with a sorrowful future in romance. She put a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"No," she said hopefully, "She'll be just as pretty as Legolas' wife, and a lot smarter at that!"   
  
Elenwe smiled down at her. "Like you?"  
  
Naurglahad blushed slightly and laughed, taking her hand from Elenwe's shoulder and putting it on her forehead. She faked a dramatic tone.  
  
"Do not tamper with my emotions!" she cried.  
  
They both laughed, eventually staggering in failure to stand still.   
  
"What's so funny?" said a voice.  
  
Naurglahad and Elenwe turned expectantly. Of course, Legolas was standing there, looking a bit worn out from dancing with all the Elf girls, whom he had danced with twice each.  
  
"Nothing, nothing…" sighed Naurglahad, "So, how have you been getting along with your fan girls?"  
  
"They all stumbled and tripped," sighed Legolas, "And I could only catch half of them,"  
  
"That must have been," Elenwe pondered for the right word, "painfully embarrassing,"  
  
"It was," Legolas, replied, "The first 'fan girl' I danced with was the best of them,"  
  
"The one with blonde hair and green eyes?" asked Naurglahad.  
  
"Yes. Her."  
  
"The one that tripped because she was gaping into your 'gorgeous, deep, blue' eyes?" Legolas rolled his eyes as Naurglahad continued to imitate fan girl-ism. "And then that girl must have been thinking 'Oh! I hope he likes my eyes! I am so proud of my eyes, la la la la la!' And then she trips!" She fell backward into his arms and immediately got up.  
  
"Then every single other girl you danced with tripped! Why? Because they were busy gawking at your face! Mwahahaha!"  
  
She continued to laugh evilly for quite some time. Legolas leaned over to Elenwe and whispered: "How do you get her to be quiet?"  
  
"Compliment her!" he whispered back.  
  
Legolas groaned and shook his head. He put a friendly arm on Naurglahad's shoulder.  
  
"Well none of their eyes were as nice as yours! And none of them could dance as well either!" Naurglahad's jaw hung in silence. Legolas, in satisfaction, put his arm down and waved a farewell.  
  
"Good night!" he said cheerfully, and went down the path toward the dormitories, trying to act as happy as he could be. Naurglahad gaped after him, and Elenwe was having a difficult time trying to restrain a laugh. In realization, she quickly got a hold of Elenwe's collar and held him up in the air with one hand. Elenwe gulped nervously and almost started to perspire cold sweat. Seeing this, Naurglahad simply laughed in his face as she dropped him and ran after Legolas. She'd walk with him to the dorm entrances, and split at their separate corridors.  
  
  
~*~  
  
  
About half an hour later, Naurglahad had reached her dormitory. She changed out of her dress, hanging it in the elegantly decorated closet, and stepped into her nightclothes. It was very late at night, and she was just about to flop into bed when she remembered.  
  
"Frickin' paper thing," she muttered, taking out a sheet of parchment from a cabinet and a pen. She remembered that Thranduil asked for a progress report when they reached cities and checkpoints. On her paper she wrote:  
  
"Feeling fine. Cadradhas was…fun. Have to take the court next summer to see the…air!"  
  
She grinned in reminisce of how high that jump was and how clear the air was, and how the sun was so pleasant, and how they had nearly landed on a pile of sharp rocks, and hit a mound of snow and were nearly buried alive under it.  
  
"Legolas has become more…acquainted with the ladies. However, it did take a bit of 'force'. The team is getting along fine in cooperation; we are friendlier with each other. Mission success in sight."  
  
Then, she went to the window and leaned out into a nearby tree. She caught a Tindormerel in one of the branches. Taking the bird inside, she set it on the table and pulled out one green sack and one yellow sack from the cabinet. Inside the green, there was a Tindomerel treat, which she rolled across the table to the bird. It began pecking at the treat immediately. With the yellow sack, she got out a needle and thread. She folded her letter, poked a hole through a corner with the needle, and looped a strand of thread through it. With the thread, she strapped it tightly, yet comfortably around the nightingale's neck.  
  
"Alright," she yawned finally, picking the Tindormerel up and holding it out the window, "Take it to Mirkwood, King Thranduil's court. They'll be waiting for you." She raised her arm, and the Tindomerel flew away.  
  
"Bed."  
  
She dove under the covers and pulled them over her head. She was just about to shut her eyes and instantly fall into slumber when suddenly, she heard footsteps…inside the room. By the sound of the footsteps, she coordinated the position of the intruder in her mind, and snaked a hand under her pillow, where a gleaming silver knife lay. It was a fortunate thing that Naurglahad always kept a weapon nearby. She flung her covers off, ready to fling the knife at whatever was in the room.  
  
A man with black shoulder length hair tied back stood there. He was wearing the black suit of a ninja, with Kunai, silver throwing knives, smaller than Naurglahad's, lining his waist. On his back, he wore not a sword, but a gun, a silent shot sniper gun as Naurglahad recognized it. She knew who he was, and she feared him. Not because he was armed, not because he had intruded in her private quarters. He was Onikunshu Ryunarasu, Lord of the Real World Bounty Hunters, and Naurglahad's father.  
  



	9. Onikunshu

**Disclaimer: **Tolkien owns LOTR. I own the Ryunarasu.   
  
  
**I STAND ALONE**  
  
  
Naurglahad gasped and immediately rolled out of bed and bowed on the floor.  
  
"Lord Onikunshu, father and master, how may I serve you?" she said in the form of the ritual.  
  
"What is your news?" he ordered quietly, "How are you proceeding in your task?"  
  
Naurglahad twitched. She remembered.  
  
Taking her friends in the dimension traveler was not the only reason why she was here. She was in Middle-earth for a special--no, _regal_ assignment: to extract blood from and enslave Elves. Through the completion of this task, then she would be qualified to attain the throne of Ryunarasu. But she had always regretted accepting the challenge.  
  
Though she would torment the Elves by raising monsters and make them shudder with a Dark attitude, she never wanted to seriously kill or hurt any one of them. She had regretted telling Onikunshu about the elves and their blood. If that hadn't happened, then he wouldn't be interested in seeing if their blood could support the Bounty Hunter clan. And if their blood were no use, then their immortality and stability would be turned into slavery.  
  
"I have 'befriended' the Prince," said Naurglahad, trying to keep herself together, "And once he is over with, I will have the King."  
  
"Excellent." said Onikunshu sternly. He was not joyous for almost any situation. He only smiled when something exploded or died violently. "Now, there is a second matter I need to discuss with you,"  
  
Suddenly, he took a razor sharp Kunai and struck Naurglahad's face. She staggered and clutched the wound cut on her cheek. Blood began to seep from it instantly.  
  
"What are the three emotions that you are forbidden to show?" he spat, watching his daughter collect herself and stand straight again, ignoring the blood that trickled down her face like tears.  
  
"Sorrow, fear, and love," she recited. She refused to let a mere cut affect her. She had survived injuries that were worse…much worse.  
  
"It seems a miracle that you still remember," said Onikunshu, "You're reactions at the bottom of the mountain were pitiful. You, sending your beloved puny Dragons to unknowingly face my own mightier Dragons. I told them to slaughter whatever they met if they didn't bring you to me. I thought that you would know better than to commit such a foolish task. It brings shame to the name 'Ryunarasu'."  
  
Naurglahad held back tears of fury and honorable guilt through her eyes that were already straining to keep steady. She knew he was just being hard on her to enforce tactics for a good hunter, yet it was an abusive technique, and it pierced and cuffed heart.   
  
"Don't make emotional mistakes like that again," he warned, "Or you will fall to the feet of your foe. I will be watching you,"  
  
He threw a black capsule at thee ground, and in a mist of black smoke he was gone.  
**  
~*~**  
  
Naurglahad dragged herself to the door when someone rapped on the handles the next morning. Running her hair through her fingers, she threw on a robe in case it was another elf that nagged about modesty. 'I hate mornings' she thought acidly as she opened the door. Once again, Legolas was there, looking impatient that she was late for breakfast.  
  
"It's a habit of yours that you overslee-where did you get that cut?"  
  
Naurglahad blinked as she felt the sore on her cheek. She tried to think of a reasonable excuse to cover up what happened last night. However, explaining how she got a cut on her face, that looked as if someone had hit her, was difficult.   
  
"I was…I was…" Naurglahad gave up, "Never mind that. As for breakfast, I'm not hungry, I am tired, and I would like to go back to sleep, good day!"  
  
She slammed the door abruptly in his face. She had no time to consider if what she did might have confused Legolas, instead, she dressed in her usual black robe, but only wore a single strap across her chest to hold a sword. She needed to reside to her nature self again with a few animal friends that dwelt in the dell of Rivendell's mountain valley.  
  
She opened the door to find Legolas still standing there with the same impatient look on his face. He could tell that something was definitely going on with her, and it would probably affect her and the rest of the world deeply.  
  
"Please do not slam the door in my face again," he said politely, "It's quite rude,"  
  
"Aw," sighed Naurglahad, "I am so sorry! But I am in a rush!" she gave him a quick friendly hug, and ran off. "Toodles!"  
  
Legolas watched her run down the corridor and out of sight. He shook his head.  
  
Naurglahad kept running down the halls and doors, passing elf maids and servants quickly, leaping over a couple balconies, and splattering Elrond with water as she skipped through a fountain.  
  
"Sorry!" she called, continuing her lope without hesitation. Then, she turned a corner and almost thudded right into a few elf maidens that were standing around. They turned and looked at her for a moment, and then they sneered in hatred. Naurglahad recognized them as three of the girls from last night.   
  
"You!" one of them quarreled, "You are Naurglahad!" she pushed her, "Who do you think you are? A mortal flirting with an elf prince?"  
  
"Well well well!" exclaimed Naurglahad, wittily dusting herself off, "It looks like I've run into Charlie's Angels!" The three elf maidens raised an eyebrow, "Oh no!"  
She shoved the elf maiden back and wended her way though them. She was held back as a maiden grabbed the hilt of her sword. Flames roared wrathfully in Naurglahad's eyes. She whipped around and grabbed the maiden by the collar.  
  
"Do not," she cautioned menacingly, "touch the sword. That was over fourteen qemba worth of cash. If you grab it, you might break it. Give me another four qemba, and I'll gladly cleave off your head for violating my possessions!"  
  
She passed them in the hall and ran to the stables where she could borrow one of the horses.  
  
** ~*~**  
  
"Have you seen Naurglahad lately?" asked Elenwe to Legolas as they walked through the corridors near Elrond's Library.  
  
"There was something wrong with her this morning," he replied, "She had a cut on her cheek and she wouldn't tell me how she got it."   
  
"Strange…how large was it?"  
  
"It was as if someone had done it for her…I hope she's alright,"  
  
"Oh you don't need to worry about her!" said one of the elf maidens that 'just happened' to be nearby, "She shouldn't be of any of your concerns!"  
  
"I will concern for whom and what I wish, thank you," said Legolas firmly. He attempted to continue on his way with Elenwe around the hall, but was cornered by more elf maidens. Soon, they had created a solid wall around him.   
  
"I will go find her," said Elenwe over the crowd of fan girls. Legolas nodded his permission as he began to step away from the fan girl wall. Elenwe didn't know where to start first, but he thought he would ask Elrond first before venturing away from the city into the mountains. As he passed through Imladris, he came across several shocked elves that claimed that someone nearly ran them over. He suspected that Naurglahad was probably running with the excessive use of elbows again.   
  
Continuing down the halls, he found some people paralyzed, staring up at a railing, proclaiming that they were nearly flattened as someone leapt right over it. He also found a triplet of fan girls that asked him if he knew what 'Charlie's Angels' was. Later, he found Elrond sitting in the sun, very wet with a frustrated look on his face. His left eye was twitching aggregately as he sat on the stone bench, ever so motionless, plotting something. Elenwe approached him with caution.  
  
"Excuse me? Lord Elrond?"  
  
Elrond turned around and replied, "Yes? What do you need?"  
  
"Have you seen Naurglahad?"  
  
Elrond shuddered. "She just ran past the fountains, actually, she ran _in_ the fountains, spraying water all over my face and my good mahogany robes!" He pointed to his sodden coat, "She went that way if that is what you want to know!" he pointed out of Rivendell, into the stables. Elenwe bowed a thank-you and ran off in that direction.  
  
** ~*~**  
  
Elenwe took a horse and rode along the path. There were fresh hoof prints in it, so he knew which way to go. He surpassed a small forest, a few streams, and a couple large boulders, following the footprints until he found another horse tied to a tree. It was obviously Naurglahad's, as it was saddled and bridled. She was the only mortal around for the few miles. Leaving his horse next to Naurglahad's he followed a new set of footprints down another trail, and into another forest.  
  
Then, he could hear the maker of the footsteps somewhere very close by. He turned to the noise, which seemed to lurk behind a stalk of very tall bushes. He poked his head through the branches, but instead of finding solid ground, he found sixty feet of thin air over a black abyss. He made to step back on to safe ground, but his balance was beginning to fail. He teetered over the edge of the precipice.  
  
Then, he fell over the cliff.   
  
  



	10. Elenwe Recovers

**Disclaimer:** I do not own LOTR, Dr.T owns it. I own everything else.  
  


* * *

**  
I STAND ALONE**  
  
  
"He fell off a cliff,"  
  
"Fell off a cliff? It is not common that Elves fall off cliffs!"  
  
"Well, he just fell over the ledge, which just happened to be very high,"  
  
"So he really fell off a ledge…"  
  
"Yes, if that is comprehensible to you!"  
  
"Ai! I should have gone with him! I was blocked up by all the others,"  
  
"Well, if you want me to push you off a cliff, I'll be glad to!"  
  
"No! You already pushed me down the Falls of Rauros! During the ceremony and everything-"  
  
"Hey! That was an accident! Pippin knocked me over trying to reach a mushroom, and I bumped into you!"  
  
"Boromir would have been ashamed to see the chaos on the day we were supposed to commemorate his death…"  
  
"How do you know? I thought I heard him laughing as I had to dive after you! And it was thanks to me that you hadn't drowned!"  
  
"And that I nearly died."  
  
"I saved you, didn't I?"  
  
"…Yes you did."  
  
"So now there isn't anything to be upset about, is there?"  
  
"…I'll still never forgive you for pushing me over."  
  
"It was YOUR fault that you were absentmindedly peering over the edge, all blanking out with your elvish trances!"  
  
"Absentmindedly? It was supposed to be a moment of solemn silence!"  
  
"Shut up."  
  
"I don't whether to kill you, or laugh at you…"  
  
"Neither. He's waking up."  
  
Elenwe opened his eyes. He was in a white room with white sheets and wearing the white healing garments. Naurglahad and Legolas were seated on opposite sides of the bed he was laying in, staring at him expectantly. Elenwe tried to remember what happened after he fell through the bushes. He could only see blackness, and that was all.  
  
"Ay!" cheered Naurglahad, "Elenwe is alive!"  
  
"Good, Elenwe!" cried Legolas, "You made it!"  
  
"What happened?" said Elenwe weakly.   
  
"You kinda'…ah…" Naurglahad couldn't find the right word.  
  
"Fell," said Legolas, "…off a cliff."  
  
"Off a cliff?" sputtered Elenwe, "I fell off a cliff? How-ho-how'd I live?"  
  
"Elrond said that he realized that he had sent you off in the direction of a building orc colony," explained Legolas, "The orcs are making this giant underground pit, so he had to ride after you."  
  
"I saw it," said Naurglahad, "He got out his pretty Ring-amajig-"  
  
"Vilya," corrected Legolas, "The Ring of Sapphire,"  
  
"Right…well, anyways, he said some funky elvish stuff-"  
  
"It's called a spell!"  
  
"Yeah! Whatever! And he summoned the funny water-horsies-"  
  
"That was the River."  
  
"Yes! And he saved you by doing a bunch of magic stuff-" she slapped her hand over Legolas' mouth before he could say anything, "But the odd the odd thing is, the River was on the other side of Imladris!"  
  
"Neither of us have been able to figure out how that happened," said Legolas, whose voice was muffled under Naurglahad's palm, "And get your hand off my face!"  
  
"No, I like it this way," said Naurglahad. She kept her block on his mouth, "And I wouldn't recommend trying to bite my hand either, I have just finished dealing with another Dragon potion," Legolas withdrew himself completely from Naurglahad. "Which, by the way, you must drink right now!"  
  
She whipped out a flask and jammed the uncorked end in Elenwe's mouth, draining all its contents. Elenwe swallowed quickly and shuddered as he felt the magic of the Dragon ingredients occur.   
  
"Oh, and I didn't give this to you, okay?" said Naurglahad, "I'm not supposed to be using this under Elrond's advice." She unplugged the bottle just as someone opened the door. Elrond walked in, under concern for his patient.  
  
"What is that?" he inquired, seeing the flask in Naurglahad's hand.  
  
"This?" said Naurglahad, "Oh! This is nothing!" She smiled reassuringly as she tossed the flask over her shoulder and out the window, where it resulted in a smash, followed by someone screaming that they had been hit in the eye.  
  
"Ah! It hit me! I'm dying! I'm dying! Help!"  
  
Naurglahad grinned again as Elrond glared knives at her. She immediately stood and grabbed Legolas by the wrist before he could spill it.  
  
"We think Elenwe needs rest!" she sang, dragging Legolas out of the door, "And now, we must… 'Depart thee'! Have a nice day!" she yanked him out of the doorway and slammed it shut. Elrond shook his head as he began examination on Elenwe.  
  
~*~  
  
  
"So you knew he was going out of Imladris?" asked Naurglahad as she and Legolas walked hastily away from the Hospital Wing in order to escape from Elrond.  
  
"Yes, I knew that!" replied Legolas.  
  
"Well why didn't you follow?"  
  
"I was blocked up by a wall of fan girls!"  
  
"Elenwe could've seriously died back there," scolded Naurglahad, "Why didn't you focus on your priorities? Which was more important? Finding your 'true love' amongst a pack of girls that only like you for your looks and royalty, or saving your best friend from dangerous peril?"  
  
"Saving Elenwe! But they wouldn't let me pass! They kept pushing me back into a wall, which is why we're leaving for Lothlorien as soon as he fully recovers!"  
  
"Well, that's good news. But why did you need to exit Rivendell?"  
  
"We were looking for you, or going to look for you."  
  
Naurglahad stopped right in her tracks.   
  
"Why were you looking for me?"  
  
"Something happened on the night of the banquet," said Legolas, "Something gave you a cut in one of the most unusual places for you to be hurt, your face!" he tapped Naurglahad's cheek, "And now, it has disappeared! What is going on with you?"  
  
"It's…it's…" Naurglahad turned away.  
  
"Something you'd rather not discuss." finished Legolas.  
  
"Yes," she murmured, "Exactly."  
  
"And now you need recollection time."  
  
She nodded. Legolas returned it.  
  
"Then be off with you," he said, "You can get ready for the journey across the Misty Mountains,"   
  
"Wise thought," she replied. She faced a separate fork from Legolas in the hall, "And," she added, "Thank you for understanding…that. I'm sorry if I kinda' yelled at your face too much, or yelled at you too much at all."  
  
"Apology accepted," he answered. They took a step in opposite directions before Legolas supplied "When I said that you had nice eyes and that you could dance well…I wasn't lying."  
  
He strode down the corridor as Naurglahad froze in place. Through her paralysis, she couldn't tell whether she paled, remained the same color, or, burn the thought, blushed.  
  
  



	11. On The Road Again

**Disclaimer:** Go read the other chaps. Same application.  
  


* * *

  
  
** I STAND ALONE**  
  
"Who wants to sing 'On the Road Again' song?!"  
  
"No!"  
  
"Aww, you guys are no fun!"  
  
"It's just that after a while, it gets annoying."  
  
"And eventually, it turns quite evil."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Naurglahad stared down at the weed infested dirt path in an attempt to think of a new song to sing along the way to Lorien. She, Elenwe and Legolas were now riding out of Rivendell up to the skirts of the mountains with a troop of brown horses that Elrond had lent them. As soon as they would reach the crags, they would send the horses back up the road and to Rivendell.  
  
"I can't think of any songs to sing!" whined Naurglahad, exaggerated despair clinging to her thoughts.  
  
"On the road again," sang Elenwe, un-energetically, "Just can't wait to get on the road again,"  
  
Naurglahad's face brightened contentedly. "The life I love is makin' music with my friends... who-aren't-really-friends-but-they're-here-anyway!" She added. The elves sighed. "And I can't wait to get on the road again!"  
  
She smiled eagerly at Legolas, who began to sing in the same tone as Elenwe.  
  
"On the road again, Going places that I've never been,"  
  
"Aw come on! Lighten up!" cheered Naurglahad. Then she continued to sing, "Seein' things that I may never see again,"   
  
"And I can't wait to get on the road again," Sang Elenwe and Legolas, still unexcited.  
  
The journey went on like that for quite a while. Naurglahad kept singing her 'catchy' little melody over and over again, and the two elves said nothing.  
  
** ~*~**  
  
Three hours later, Naurglahad had stopped singing and they had reached the soot-like dirt covered foot hills of the Misty Mountains. The now weary horses were tethered to a battered (from whacking others round the head) wooden pole that had Naurglahad jammed into the ground. Now, she was rummaging through her leather pack, looking for dinner utensils as Legolas roasted a hare that Elenwe had seen on their way and failed to hesitate firing a well-aimed arrow at it for dinner.   
  
"So," said Naurglahad, "How are we getting over the Misty Mountains?"  
  
"What do you mean?" asked Legolas. He flipped a slice of rabbit meat over a happy crackle of flames.  
  
"Are we going through the mountains, like everyone else does, or are we climbing over the peaks?"  
  
"Through of course! We can't climb those peaks!" he replied, now taking the meat off the griddle and slicing it. Quick as lightning, Naurglahad speared her knife at the meat and flipped it into the crisp night air, ready to catch it in her mouth. Legolas rescued it just before it hit her tongue.  
  
"It was Elenwe's catch. He gets first taste." He handed Elenwe the spewed catch, who took it, and with one bite gave it high ratings. Naurglahad took the next slice immediately. At last, when their meal was finished, Naurglahad put down her plate, stood from the boulder she was sitting on, and spread her arms out enthusiastically.  
  
"Who wants to sing the 'On the Road Again' song?!"  
  
"No!"  
  
"Fine! Then I'll just sing it myself…for another six hours! Mwahaha!"  
  
Elenwe and Legolas had to literally wrestle Naurglahad to the ground to get a handkerchief around her mouth, and a rope tying her feet and arms together. She gave them murderous glares as they turned around and walked away into a more secluded area... away from Naurglahad, who began to hum loudly now, just to annoy them. After they had abandoned her, she grunted reluctantly and bitterly decided to get sweet revenge. Inching a finger down her boot, a 'handy-dandy' knife was safely tucked in. She carefully began to hack at the cords.  
  
Soon, her cords were cut, and she could undo the handkerchief. She grabbed the opposing corners of the handkerchief, a gave it a twirl, as if ringing water out of it She followed her companion's voices, which were in a natural loop of boulders about a couple ten yards away. Her thoughts switched back and forth on who attack first. Then, she pulled back her arm behind the elves and-  
  
WHU-PACK! WHU-PACK!  
  
"OW!"  
  
Elenwe and Legolas spun around. Naurglahad was howling with laughter, losing her balance and shouting in a sing-songy voice:  
  
"I just whipped you! I just whipped you! Ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha h- uh oh!"  
  
Naurglahad turned and fled from the site, still laughing, but in fear from the two enraged elves that tore after her. She scrambled up a tall boulder, and began a  
swift assault upon the smooth peaks of each rock. Elenwe and Legolas followed from behind her dodging between the rocks she was leaping on. Then, she jumped out of their sight. There was a loud splash. In the dark, it was hard to see what happened to her. Elenwe and Legolas attempted to slide to a halt, but tripped over a low stone, and tumbled down a dirt hill, into a rippling mirror.  
  
SPLASH!  
  
"Hey guys!" called Naurglahad, "I found a lake!"  
  
"We've noticed." gargled Elenwe.   
  
They floated on the surface of the water for awhile, trying to see how far the pebble covered shores were. The yellow light of the fire at their now abandoned campsite was flickering in the dark a long way ahead.  
  
"Where's Legolas?" asked Naurglahad. She and Elenwe swam around frantically, searching rapidly for the lost elf prince. Naurglahad dove underwater to look for him, while Elenwe exited the lake to search the hill they had rolled down. Fatal possibilities crossed both their minds. What if he had drowned? Or gotten killed from a blow to the head by a stone? Maybe he was eaten by some mysterious Kraken that lived in the lake, or another troll that was feeling hungry?  
  
  
** ~*~**  
  
  
Legolas was shaken awake. He was lying on a soft, woolen cloth in a dark, damp realm somewhere. From the echoing drips of water, he seemed to be in a cave. He opened his eyes.  
  
"Great Aule!" cried a friendly voice, "The elf is alive! Legolas!"  
  
Legolas' eyes widened. He was surrounded by a group of short, stocky beings plated in armor with long tangled beards. Above him stood a familiar person-  
  
"Gimli!" shouted Legolas, his weary face breaking into a smile. Gimli burst into laughter as he accepted the friendly embrace from his elf friend. His fellow dwarves cheered. "What on Middle-earth are you doing here?"  
  
"We're off to the Golden Wood!" exclaimed Gimli, "Lord Celeborn invited us. He didn't write too much information in his letter. He said that he will explain the gathering at the entrance to Lorien."  
  
"And we're off to Lorien!" said Legolas.  
  
"We? Who is we?" he looked around for a moment, "Legolas? Are you going mad?"  
  
"No!" Legolas looked around frantically, "I was here with Elenwe and Naurglahad! Have you seen them?"  
  
"Nay," replied Gimli, "Haven't seen a new sight since you came along. You were floating through a river that entered this cave."  
  
Legolas scrambled to his feet, searching frantically in the dark. His companions were nowhere to be seen.  
  



	12. True Form

** Disclaimer:** Dr. T owns LOTR! I own everything else.  
  


* * *

**  
I STAND ALONE**   
  
  
Naurglahad kept her eyes closed. In the air, she could smell fire, but it wasn't burning on wood as if at a campsite. She sensed it like it was being pressed against her. The feeling would've have been comforting to her cold, wet, shivering body if it hadn't been backed up by a coat of steel plates. She still kept her lids shut, now trying to recall what had happened after…no…did that happen? Was she…no, that wasn't right. Or…yes…that was it.  
  
She had swam to the bottom of the lake in pursuit of finding Legolas, when from behind her, there came a low rumbling sound, like thunder rolling over green hills and pastures. Not daring to turn around to face it, she attempted to take cover in an opening passage that seemed to lead into a cave. She had near reached a decent hiding place, until something had snatched her ankle. Its' grip was much too strong for her to wriggle out of, and suddenly, her head had smashed into a rock. She fainted.  
  
Her fingers now slightly trembling on a flat, smooth surface, confirmed that she was out of the water, and helpless in the hands of whoever. Her eyes eased open.  
A great dragon with blackened brown leathery skin and jet-black wings was curled up next to her. It was not sleeping. The dragon had angled its' head at Naurglahad, forcing her to look directly into two luminous green orbs. The eyes. It raised its' long-neck and looked down at her with pity and shame, occasionally flicking its' reptile tongue. Then, it spoke in Dragon tongue, a language that Naurglahad could speak and understand.  
  
"Daughter, daughter," it sighed near aggravation, "You can be quite pitiful in so many situations… how do you do it? And stop wearing that…human disguise. It disgusts me. This cave is large enough for you to transform."  
  
"Do I have to?" she mumbled instinctively as she reached for an invisible chain around her neck. She groped at it for a few moments before she unhooked the clasp. In a shock of sparks, her complexion became much darker. It was hard to notice the details of her face because she had immediately changed form after that. She closed her eyes again as she felt her morphs begin. She could feel her body become larger and her head lengthening. Fangs sprouted from gums and her tongue thinned, as it became super sensitive. As a new skin ran along her limbs, new members burst from her joints: razor-like crests and wings.   
  
She blinked. The world had become like an old photograph. Fuzzy and without colors. However, it made vision better. She could sense even the tiniest life form, crawling along the shores of a nearby puddle. She could strongly smell that puddle. Every last insignificant drop that fell from the roof of the cave. She could hear each puddle like a speeding bullet, racing with gravity to meet its fellow molecules that had gathered together with the life form.   
  
Naurglahad had taken her true form: a dragon.  
  
She flicked her sensitive tongue at her venom pasted fangs inside her mouth. She was immune to her own deadly poison. Then, after beating her wings slightly, she looked down. Her feet were no longer there. Instead, two padded paws covered in copper scales glinted up at her. Yard long silver talons with an alabaster texture burst from her toes. Upon further inspection of her claws, she realized that she was long overdue for nail filing.  
  
"I cannot understand why you enjoy being a puny, unintelligent, useless mortal human." grumbled Onikunshu, "Why did you choose that worthless form for your mission? So you can attract those stupid elves that you follow around?"  
  
"No, sir!" replied Naurglahad frantically, "Not at all! Not at all!"  
  
"Then you wouldn't mind destroying them, would you?"  
  
"I…I…"  
  
Naurglahad couldn't answer. She had no extreme grudges against them and the other elves, nor affections of favor whatsoever…or did she? The Apocalypse between both sides began. She was annoyed with Elenwe. No, he was a good friend. Elrond nagged too much. But he was always wise. Thranduil was a wimp. Yet he was incredibly generous with her with letting her stay in Mirkwood, considering how suspicious wood-elves usually are. Wethrinaer was evil. But that was cool. She hated Legolas. She stopped right there. There were no direct oppositions to that point, or none that she wanted to admit.  
  
"If I didn't know any better," drawled Onikunshu, "Then I would say that you are becoming fond of these elves. Elenwe Pilininge*, and Legolas Greenleaf in particular."  
  
"I will poison them if you want me to!" Naurglahad burst out. She would've clapped a hand to her mouth if she had any.  
  
"You have forgotten already, haven't you? You told me that elves are immune to poison. Are you trying to fool me?"  
  
"No! No! It just slipped my mind!"  
  
"Then you must tether your thoughts so that they do not slide away."  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"Good. As I was saying, you are near falling to the feet of those two elves. They are in the way. I want them dead as soon as possible. Assassinate them. You're good at that. Do you understand?"  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"Good. Now change back into your human form, and I will put you back with the elves. I've made sure that they're together."  
  
  
** ~*~**  
  
  
Elenwe stumbled out of the lake and staggered along the pebble shore. He immediately proceeded up the dirt hill to search for Legolas. Then, just as he reached the top of the hill something had swooped down on him picked him up by his collar and took of into the air. It was too dark to see what had ambushed him, but he sensed that it was an enormous creature with large claws and wings. The beast carried him over the lake, and then dove down below the surface of the water. The beast flung him into a passage inside a rock. Elenwe spun in the current, but managed to control his motion and swam toward the nearest surface.  
  
"There's another one!" hollered a deep, raspy voice.  
  
"Elenwe!" called another.  
  
Elenwe looked around blindly. He couldn't see where he was. Only a paper lantern with a dying light was visible in front of his face. Swimming around the surface, he reached a wall. He was directly grabbed by the arms, and hoisted out of the water.  
  
The dwarves draped another blanket about Elenwe's shoulders. Legolas came to his side and spoke to him.  
  
"Are you alright, Elenwe?"  
  
Elenwe shivered and nodded. More dwarves came and helped him to his feet and leaned him on a rock next to Legolas. Then, something else came flying out of the water like a fired missile. It splashed out of the water and landed painfully in a crippled huddle in a flowing stream. The thing was instantly identified as Naurglahad.  
  
She moaned. "Owww…damn that hurt…"  
  
The dwarves and Legolas came to her. Naurglahad slowly looked up at each of them.  
  
"Who the hell are you short people?" she asked, sounding disoriented.   
  
"Ignore her," sighed Legolas, picking Naurglahad up and semi-dragging her next to Elenwe.  
  
"I only…" whispered Naurglahad, "Only remember…throwing that water balloon upstairs…and then daddy whacked us with the paddle for tossing it up on his head…I cried for one hour straight before…I…fell…alseeep."  
  
Naurglahad began snoring quietly after that. Some of the dwarves chuckled, while others shook their heads and slapped their foreheads. Just as Legolas was about to let her go, Naurglahad turned over and murmured so that only he could hear.  
  
"You're warm. Did you know that?" After that, she hugged him.  
  
  
~~~~~~  
* Pilininge in Elvish is 'flying arrow'. I did that on purpose. hee hee heh...-_-  
  
  
  



	13. Gimli's Reminisce

** Disclaimer:** I don't own LOTR, Tolkien does.  


* * *

  
I STAND ALONE  
  
"And then this... giant beast came swooping down on me when I had reached the hill top. I was so petrified, that I couldn't look up to see what had caught me. Then, it dove down into the lake, and threw me off into the passage you found me in."  
  
Some of the dwarves nodded, while others raised eyebrows. Gimli took a sip of ale in his metal tankard before turning to Naheka, who sat opposite of him in the circle they were all sitting in. There was no campfire in the center of them, as it was too dark and much too damp to even light a spark. The paper lantern from last night had finally died out, but luckily, a troop of scouting dwarves had located Legolas, Elenwe, and Naheka's previous site. They brought their packs back with them, which included a glass lantern with a fresh flame in it, although it only provided an immature glow.  
  
"What about you?" Gimli asked gruffly, taking another sip, "How did you get here?"  
  
"I found this underwater passage through the lake," replied Naheka in a matter-of-factly tone. She was merely reciting what Onikunshu had told her to explain, "However, there was a strong current, and I was unexpectedly swept up and out of the pool."  
  
"Perhaps the current was made by that monster in the lake?" suggested Elenwe, wrapping his woolen blanket closer around him.  
  
"Most likely." said Legolas.  
  
Gimli took his last sip of his ale, set the tankard aside, and stood up.  
  
"Enough lying around here!" he exclaimed, picking up his own leather sack of possessions, "We have a whole mountain range to cross before we reach the Golden Wood!"  
  
The dwarves cheered a short chant in Kuzdul as they too, picked up their luggage and marched off through the rocky tunnel. Naheka and the elves simply followed their new companions through the route, as they seemed to know exactly where they were going. Legolas took the lead next to Gimli, while Elenwe and Naheka were scattered amongst everyone else.  
  
"Are you having some kind of affair with her or something?" inquired Gimli suddenly to Legolas.  
  
"No!" said Legolas, rolling his eyes, "What gave you _that _idea?"  
  
"Well, it just seems that you two have changed in how you deal with each other." he replied, "You two can actually be together in a room without attempting to either wound each other, or shout nasty names and taunts. I remember when Naheka was seventeen. You and her used to fight a lot."  
  
  
_ The Fellowship of the Ring, Naheka, and her friends sat with each other over another fire that danced on the wood cheerfully. Though their simple dinner together in the wilderness was so gleeful and merry, that even Aragorn and Boromir could agree on a topic involving Gondor, two members were dreadfully sour and bitter, glaring murderously at each other in their exact opposite positions over the fire. The brightness of the fire cast shadows about everyone's faces, yet the darkness of the shadow was most emphasized on the faces of Naheka and Legolas.  
  
Naheka took a deep breath before muttering, "Prissy elf."  
  
Legolas heard her insult with his sharp ears and did not hesitate in retorting, "Stupid mortal."  
  
"Girlie hair."  
  
"Barbarian."  
  
"Brainless."  
  
"Thoughtless."  
  
"Radioactive."  
  
"Insane."  
  
"Abnormal!"  
  
"Paranormal!"  
  
"Moron!"  
  
"Jerk!"  
  
Everyone stopped midway through their conversations to witness the roaring banter that raged between Naheka and Legolas, who were now starting to rise from their seats, shouting even louder.  
  
"Bastard!"  
  
"Foul language!"  
  
"Weird language!"  
  
"No language!"  
  
"Pointy ears!"  
  
"Dull senses!"  
  
"Ugly!"  
  
They screamed at the same time, "Jealous!" They both gasped, "You take that back! No, you! You! You! Stop saying everything I say! You say? You stop! You! I hate you! Me too! Shut up! Stop it!-"  
  
"What's the count total, C-chan?" asked Megan, one of Naheka's friends as she snatched Naheka by the wrists to restrain her from assaulting Legolas, who was held back by Aragorn.  
  
"Let's see," said C-chan, scratching a tally on a piece of parchment, "That's their eleventh skirmish this...day."  
  
"They're like firecrackers," said Sam, allowing Frodo to step behind him, "Light one off and they all explode!"_  
  
  
  
"Just because we aren't nagging at each other anymore," said Legolas, interrupting Gimli in his reminisce, "doesn't mean we're in some kind of relationship! We don't _have_ a relationship!"  
  
"Sure you don't!" he drawled, now grinning devilishly, "You just _happen_ to ask her to come on _this_ particular journey. The _one_ journey where you get to _freely_ decide who you want to be with for the rest of your life! You ask Naheka. The one girl you have _never_ been able to forget! After dealing with at least five hundred ladies in two thousand years, you select her. Now, you probably don't know this, but the old Fellowship crew and I have been discussing this for the last two years. We all know you have strong emotions for her, and they all seem to be hate and despise. But now, I can clearly see it must be something else!"  
  
Legolas looked down at Gimli and simply blinked with an very unconvinced look on his face. "You sound like a person in their tweens when you talk like that, did you know?"  
  
Gimli snorted and shook his head. Legolas could hear him muttering under his breath "Don't lie, Legolas! Don't lie!"  
  



	14. The Way of the Ryunarasu

** Disclaimer:** I don't own LOTR. Tolkien does.  
  


* * *

**  
I STAND ALONE**  
  
  
She would have to wait until they got back to Mirkwood before she could do anything to hurt either of them. Perhaps she'd ambush them just before they would enter Mirkwood; threaten to drown them in the Anduin or maybe slam them against a wall and hold a knife up their throats. That would work. It had always worked for the last twenty people she took hostage. Of course, she eventually had to change into a dragon to get them to confess whatever information she needed. Some even refused. She killed them, but she didn't eat them. Hated eating humans. They were chewy and grimy and bony and full of unnecessary calories that were usually near impossible to burn off. She was a dragon that could take human form, but it was thanks to another family member that she could become the human everyone knew her as...  
  
"_Dammit! I did it again!_" thought Naurglahad as she trailed behind the crowd of dwarves, now closing her eyes and shaking her head, "_I always do that! Reciting my whole cursed family line mentally_-Oomph!"  
  
She had accidentally bumped into one of the dwarves, causing it to stumble a bit.  
  
"Sorry, sir." she said apologetically. The dwarf stood straight, dusted himself and turned around.  
  
"Sorry?" it retorted in a rather odd tone for a dwarf, or at least any dwarf Naurglahad had ever heard, "For knocking mey over, or fo' gettin' mey wrong?"  
  
Naurglahad raised an eyebrow, but she immediately stepped back when she saw that the dwarf didn't have a long, tangled beard, nor a grizzly, equally tangled mustache. Naurglahad had just bumped into a female dwarf. She blinked and nearly stuttered, raising an almost trembling finger at her.  
  
"Ye know when ya' point a finga' at mey' three fingas' point back?" the dwarf said. She extended a hand towards Naurglahad, "Malin Rubyplate's ma' nayme. Who're you?"  
  
"Naurglahad Ryunarasu," Naurglahad replied, taking Malin's hand. Malin gave it a good hard shake before hurrying ahead to catch up with the herd.  
  
"Ryunarasu?" said Malin as Naurglahad jogged after her, "That's a funny name. You ain't from around hea, are ya'? Thas okay! What're you here for?"  
  
"I'm following Prince Legolas of Mirkwood on an expedition-"  
  
"Oh! Naurglahad! Yes, now I remember! Gimli's been tellin' us about you. He says that you and Legolas are together with somethin'!"  
  
"Really?" said Naurglahad, keeping a curious look on her face while her insides exploded with ridiculous laughter, and an urge to take an axe and toss it at Gimli's head, "What makes him think that?"  
  
"We don't know!" exclaimed Malin, tossing her hands up, "We don't know! But he seems to be sure of himself. He sees great things comin' for ya' two!"  
  
"Fascinating."  
  
Naurglahad's mind began to drift once more as she floated off back into her thoughts of her family.  
  
All the members of the Ryunarasu clan could transform into humans. According to the family's tradition, their blood must be kept pure, or consequences will be dire and perhaps apocalyptic or fatal. Thus, family marriage was the only route to take in order to avoid fate. The Ryunarasu blood remained the same for thousands and thousands of years, and each family member looked alike: tall, pale skinned, black hair that was at least shoulder length, and the evil glint in their dark jade eyes. A taste for sin and greed swirled on the tongue of any Ryunarasu, including Naurglahad. Because of this, not only had intermarriage become a tradition, but training in one the three departments of crime: Thievery, Terrorism, and Assassination, was required. The Elders said that it would help keep tradition strong, even if it meant hurting others to survive.   
  
Naurglahad was the only Ryu that specialized in all three categories, the _only_. And _then again_, she was the only Ryu who was a_ half_.  
  
Onikunshu was the master of the deadliest crime, Assassination, so he became lord to all Ryunarasu. It gave him great power, and much more secrecy than anyone else. And it was a good thing too, as he had once defied the Ryunarasu tradition. When he was twenty-five, he had fallen in love, true love, with a human girl with auburn hair, bright green eyes, and soft skin that had just the exact right amount of darkness to it. Her name was Narcisuss. Unfortunately, tradition had gotten in the way of Onikunshu's and Narcisuss' life together. He had to abandon her, and took the child she bore him back into the realm of darkness that he was raised in.Of course, he had to rid everything of Narcisuss from his life, so Naurglahad was given extra training to stamp Narcisuss out of all existence. He would have destroyed Naurglahad, but it was too much. She looked too much like Narcisuss. He couldn't bear to do it. Naurglahad would have to just be condemned to never love anyone.  
  
She would stand alone.  
  
** ~*~**  
  
  
That night, the dwarves took out their golden harps and wooden fiddles and flutes, with drums and a couple clarinets. They were all in the mood for a melody*, and the exit out of the Mountains were only tomorrow's walk away. The dwarves had laid out a miniature feast, with numerous torch lights burning brightly. Eventually, Malin, who was having a feminine conversation with Naurglahad, was asked to dance by Gimli. Almost giggling, she stood up and accepted his arm. Elenwe also stood, walked across the site, and timidly offered his hand to Naurglahad. She stood and went off to dance with him. Legolas smiled at them under the rim of his tankard and watched his friends move to the dwarvish tune. Later, Malin was tired of dancing and sat down again. Gimli came and bent over to Legolas' ear.  
  
"Ask her!" he whispered eagerly, almost bouncing with excitement.  
  
"No." said Legolas, pushing away the dwarf's suggestion, "There will be more opportunities for that later." He continued drinking the contents of his tankard.  
  
"Ask her!" Gimli whispered again, "Come on! Go!"  
  
"Will it make you stop pestering me like that?"  
  
"Er... yes!"  
  
"Alright then."  
  
Legolas put down his tankard, and strode to Elenwe and Naurglahad, who were slowing down in their waltz toward the end of the song. He waited for the dwarves to stop playing their music before shamelessly going up to her.  
  
"Gimli wants to know if you'll dance with me." he explained. Naurglahad rolled her eyes and nodded toward Elenwe. He stepped back and gave them room. Gimli was beginning to look antsy. The dwarves began to play the next tune.   
  
"Ya' don't need ter tremble like that!" Malin mumbled to Gimli. The rock they were both sitting on was shaking a little.  
  
"I'm not trembling." said Gimli, watching Naurglahad and Legolas intently.  
  
"Then why is everything jittering?"  
  
Naurglahad and Legolas had just taken one step into their dance, when footsteps began thundering in the dark. The dwarves stopped strumming and playing as everyone turned. All was silent for a very long time. You could hear the drips of water puddling on the floor. One of the strings on the harp twnaged and snapped. No one said word. Then Naurglahad spoke loudly.  
  
"We should run, shouldn't we?"  
  
More silence.  
  
"Good point." said Legolas. Everyone immediately packed up their things as quick as a flash and made a mad dash into the dark. A couple dwarves were screaming hysterically, while others were herding them on like cattle.  
  
They could hear more and more padded paws racing on the dirt and stone floors behind them. Someone must have looked back because they also heard someone scream:  
  
"RED EYES!"  
  
  


* * *

  
~~~~~* "They were all in the mood for a melody".... [sway your arms in the air] "Sing us a song, you're the piano man! Sing us a song tonight!  
And we're all in the mood for a melody, And you got us feelin' alright! la la la....   
  
  
  
  



	15. Uncanny Destruction

** Disclaimer: **You know the drill. Tolkien with LOTR. Me with everything else.  
  


* * *

  
** I STAND ALONE**  
  
  
"Red eyes equals..." pondered Naurglahad aloud as she and the whole lot of dwarves and two elves dashed away from their campsite, still leaving the fire to burn.  
  
"A monster that probably wants to eat us!" cried Elenwe. They leapt over a black boulder and shortly slid down a little hill.  
  
"But what kind of monster?" She snatched a sharp stone that was laying on the ground as she ran, and rubbed the sharp edge with her thumb. "What lives in the Misty Mountains?"  
  
"No one really knows," said Legolas, getting the idea and also snagging another rock, "But we can hope that it's eyes are a weak point!"  
  
He and Naurglahad spun around simultaneously and thrust their stones at two enormous red orbs that were bobbing swiftly behind them. The stones hit both eyes as the beast shrieked in agony and withdrew into the darkness. The dwarves stopped running and turned around. Naurglahad was grinning as Legolas wiped his brow.  
  
"Well," Naurglahad sighed, lifting herself up on another boulder, "That was easy." Legolas smiled and nodded as he turned back to face the dark. He paled. Naurglahad turned.  
  
Thousands of red eyes, the same size as the previous began popping out of nowhere. They each blinked at different times and adjusted their lids. Each red eye was fixed on every individual as well as it's surroundings. There was a blank spot where the two other eyes used to be. All was completely silent in fear.   
  
Someone screamed. Another dwarf screamed. The elves screamed. Naurglahad screamed. Everyone screamed. The beast roared so loudly that bits of debris fell from the wall. The roar was so powerful, that it had conjured a short blast of wind. Everyone was silenced by it. The eyes blinked. No one moved. No one breathed. The water from the cave ceiling stopped dripping. You couldn't hear anything.   
  
Then, a minute, insignificant pebble crumbled from a very distant cave wall some two miles away from them. Everyone could clearly hear it collide with the surface with a ear breaking screech, smash onto another boulder, crash on a next, roll a thunderstorm down its side, explode in two with a massive explosive sound on the floor, flip through a crack that was barely a centimeter wide, and zooming down like a rocket launching to Pluto. The half pebble, which was probably only visible to see through a microscope, flung down the vertical passage, and landed with a soft butterfly _plink_ on the cave roof.  
  
The roof cracked.  
  
An intricate design of breaks and dents formed a line around the eyes and the area around it. Dust started pouring from the cracks.  
**  
**_ CRACK!_There was a whistle. _THUD!  
_   
A large rock had fallen directly on the beast. A single, spider like, hairy leg stuck out at them, aimed to strike them. It twitched uncomfortably for a few minutes before slowly dying away. It stopped moving. It was dead. Everyone stood in the exact same positions that they were ten minutes ago, standing straight up with heads turned into the darkness.   
  
Some random dwarf's jaw dropped and said, "Wooooooooowwww..."  
  
All was silent again for three seconds. Then, "A...Aha...heh heh...HA! HA! HA! HEEHAHAHAHA!" Naurglahad burst out laughing hysterically. She clutched her stomach and staggered, bending over. Eventually, she fell over on the ground, kicking and screaming with laughter. Everyone stared down at her. She was turning red from it all, now rolling over, back and forth. "HA! Heh heh...HAHA! Oohh, ha!...Oh my god." She fainted.  
  
"Well," sighed Legolas, picking Naurglahad up and turning to the crowd, "That was exciting.... Let's move on."  
  
** ~*~**  
  
"What is that in the distance?" asked Malin, pointing out in between the trees of the Golden Wood. Elenwe and Legolas with their hawk like eyes peered through the light of the mallorn trees. Naurglahad, who had recovered five seconds after Legolas had carried her away, nearly kicking his face in the process, leapt off the grass covered hill they were standing on and clung onto the nearest tree. She too gazed into the light with squinted eyes.  
  
"They are singing merrily," said a dwarf, putting his ear forward.  
  
"They look a bit short," said Elenwe, withdrawing his neck. Legolas nodded in agreement.  
  
"And they smell a bit like..." said Naurglahad slowly, sniffing the air. "Mushrooms." Her eyes widened happily, "These'll be Hobbits!"  
  
"All the way out here in the Wood?" gasped Gimli, watching Legolas send a little finch Naurglahad had found to greet their fellows, "I'll bet those are all Tooks, with their taste for adventure!*"  
  
Naurglahad nodded and attempted to leap off the tree, but something sharp had grabbed her neck.   
  
"Dammit!" she started coughing and hacking a bit. A couple people turned. Naurglahad looked as if she were choking. "Frickin' thing..." she cursed inwardly, adjusting the invisible chain around her neck. It must have caught onto one of the sprouting tree branches. When the choking stopped, she carefully leapt from her position on the tree. Everyone was staring at her. "Heh heh...got...prodded by a tree branch...yeah..."  
  
To reinforce Narcisuss never coming into memory, Onikunshu had invented an invisible chain that divided Naurglahad's genetic appearance. When she wore the chain, she looked like her mother's daughter, and could pass through a commoners town without immediately being recognized as a Ryunarasu. When the chain was off, she was her father's daughter with the identical characteristics of every Ryunarasu. She could only become a dragon as a Ryunarasu.  
  
Legolas and Elenwe raised an eyebrow. As wood elves, they knew that you couldn't choke from being poked by a branch, but they figured that it must be another weakness that mortals have.   
  
"We'll keep moving!" commanded Gimli, "Celeborn should be waiting for us ahead!"  
  
** ~*~**  
  
"Greetings! Greetings!" announced Celeborn after the dwarves, hobbits, elves, and mortal had come deep enough in the Wood, "Thank you all for coming! I suppose that all of you must be wondering why I have summoned you." Several heads in the wide crowd nodded, "Our Lady Galadriel will be departing for the Havens very soon, and requests that she could see you all before she left. Galadriel herself would have traveled around Arda to come to you, but she has an extreme desire to not part with her Mirror. I am confident that you will enjoy your stay, and will make my Lady pleased."  
  
Then, he clapped his hands twice. A troop of elves popped out of the trees, and guided the crowds in groups through the forest and to the guest trees and grounds**. Celeborn made his way through the crowd toward Legolas, Elenwe, and Naurglahad as their dwarf companions were lead away. They bowed before him as he returned it.  
  
"I suppose these are your two followers?" he inquired, eyeing Naurglahad and Elenwe. Legolas nodded.  
  
"They are accompanying me on a quest." Legolas replied, "If we are unsuccessful in this fair elven city, we shall head south west to the sea elves."  
  
There was a concerned glint in Celeborn's eyes for a moment, but it faded instantly. "I have not informed any of our maidens of the true purpose of your expedition. I figured it would settle them down a bit, hearing from Lord Elrond in Imladris..." Naurglahad grinned and crossed her arms, "And it will lower the pressure rate on your shoulders."  
  
"Thank you, sir."  
  
Then, they were also lead away by an elf servant. Naurglahad turned to Elenwe and Legolas.   
  
"Does this mean I get to crash another party?" she asked excitedly.  
  


* * *

  
  
_~~~~~_  
*In The Hobbit, Tooks were supposed to be the adventurous people, so I put that there.  
**The Lorien Elves don't live on the ground. They live in trees, but hobbits and dwarves can't really climb trees, so...yeah...they can sleep on the ground....yip.  
  



	16. In Lothlorien

Disclaimer: I don't own LOTR, Dr. T does! Anyone read these things anyway? I own everything else.  
  


* * *

  
** I STAND ALONE**  
  
The stay at Lothlorien was much better, to Naurglahad's preference, in comparison the Rivendell. There weren't any ivy laced stone statues of elves that no one really knew, or irritating moss covered fountains that kept trickling water even when it was supposed to be turned off, or a random choir of elves that constantly danced in and out between the dark trees and kept singing "Come back to the valley! Tra-la-la-la-la!" They were like cats to Naurglahad. Cats that sang too much and deserved to have a boot thrown at them. Unfortunately for both the Rivendell choir and Naurglahad, she didn't have any boots she wanted to sacrifice, so instead she hauled a wooden stool out the window. It silenced them momentarily. She would have rid her dorm of the fine mahogany table that was positioned neatly in the corner where the stool used to be if Glorfindel hadn't barged in telling her to cease.   
  
In Lothlorien, the Elves didn't sing "Come back to the valley! Tra-la-la-la-la!" They sang about Nimrodel, Tinuviel, or Luithen; people that really did exist. And if she didn't want to hear them, she found wooden panels that she could slam shut on her window whenever she wanted. Of course, she slammed it shut so loud that the elves would stop midway through their melody and the visiting hobbits would jump or shriek.   
  
Remembering her progress report, she burst out of her dorm and flopped under a mallorn tree by the River Nimrodel. Taking her brush and ink tray, (she couldn't stand the scratchy noises a quill made) and wrote a brief description of their escapade with the Giant Spider. She paused at the end of that unusually long paragraph, which was full of descriptions and exclamation points, and wondered what the likeliness of that rock falling directly on that Spider without injuring anyone else. Uncanny destruction.  
  
She finished her report and sent it off with a white feathered swan this time. As she watched the last of its fluffy tail fade to a flapping silhouette in the orange and red light, she realized it was sunset.   
  
"Crap I'm gonna' be late!" she squealed, racing back to her dormitory, "I won't be on time to dump the beverages on someone's head!"  
  
  
  
As soon as she skidded through her doors, she was yanked into the dressing room and immediately attended to by hand-maidens. They hardly spoke a word to her as they flipped her into a warm bath, scrubbed her hastily until she was rid of every grain of dirt, threw her into another elf gown, and slammed her in front of a mirror where they checked to see if the hemming were right and brushed and dried her hair. They gave her a touch of make-up and slapped a silver necklace on her throat. Naurglahad gagged a bit as one of the maidens laced up something tightly on her back.  
  
"Put on your shoes." ordered one of them, pointing to Naurglahad's original brown leather, knee-high lace up boots. They were almost sparkling with leather polish that the elves must have rubbed on. She sighed in relief. She wouldn't have to wear those silver heels that were near impossible to walk quickly with. As soon as she had tied the last strings, she was thrust out of her dorm. "Now hurry!" they hollered. Then they slammed the doors shut.  
  
Naurglahad wobbled in her place for a few moments, dizzy from the attack she had just been ambushed with. The necklace seemed to be a choker. She wasn't fond of chokers, but she feared that the maidens might assault her again if she took it off. "_Now where to again?_" she thought, trying to remember where she was supposed to meet Elenwe and Legolas. "Oh yeah! The front of the dorms!"  
  
She sped off in that direction, bypassing several hobbits dressed in their "Sunday Best", a dwarf wearing something shiny and a group of wing headed and mustached Gondorian men that were laughing heartily. They spun with a "woah!" as Naurglahad sprinted to the entrance of the guest dorms. "_I always seem to be running every time I come to an elf city...I wonder why._" she thought as she skidded to another halt in front of the two elves that were waiting on the side. Legolas in his green and silver robes, and Elenwe with navy blue. They stared at her even wider eyed than they did in Rivendell.  
  
"I assume that the elf maidens helped you with that look?" inquired Legolas, eyeing her dress and silver choker.  
  
"Helped? Helped?" she said, breaking out into a ranting position, "I wasn't helped! I was _attacked_!"  
  
"Well the elf maidens should attack you more often then." said Elenwe, smiling at Naurglahad's outraged reaction. "Have you seen a mirror?" He pointed to an empty bird bath a few yards away from them.  
  
Naurglahad grunted as she strode the distance and glanced in the still water. She glanced, but she looked again. She stared even closer. "Hey..." she spoke to herself, narrowing her eyes at her reflection, "I...I look good!" She touched the layer of cloudburst shaded eye shadow on her eyelids and ran a finger on the silver choker that lined her neck. Upon further inspection, she saw delicately decorated silver mallorn leaves engraved on it. Turning around, she saw that a v-cut portion of the back of her dress was bare, but it had two laces crossing back and forth over each other where they ended in a neat tie up by her neck and under her hair, which was once again, unusually shiny. The gown was white with wide rimmed sleeves and the cut on her neck was three-sided. But at least this time, she didn't have any Elanor flowers tucked behind her ear. When she had come out of her trance, she found Elenwe and Legolas standing beside her.  
  
"Done admiring yourself yet?" said Legolas as he started to make his way along the lantern lit pathway to the courtyards. With one last glance, Naurglahad nodded and took Elenwe's offered arm and continued walking off to the banquet.  
  
  
** ~*~**  
  
  
The music they played was much better in Lothlorien too. There weren't just plain lyres and harps, but dwarves and hobbits brought fiddles and drums and clarinets. There was a much larger variety of music, and you could dance to each one differently. There were of course, simple waltzes and things, but fiddles brought jigs and the band instruments made group melodies. Naurglahad danced with Elenwe a few times and of course didn't miss a single chance to watch a charming young elf lady shock herself at the sight of Legolas. She counted nine that giggled uncontrollably, four that stuttered, five that talked too much, six that turned away in spite of their shyness, and three had fainted.  
  
At the food tables, she found a quarreling Meridoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took, bantering over whether to take red elven wine or white elven wine. After she had given them proper greetings, she suggested that they have a good old brandy. They parted her with thanks, and soon began to argue whether to get them in pints or bottles. Admiring mallorn trees, Samwise Gamgee and a very weak and weary Master Frodo Baggins were found. Frodo was silent for most of the while as he watched the gold leaves upon the branches fall one by one. Sam said he was thinking deeply so best not be disturbed. Finding news of Aragorn and Arwen wasn't hard, as Gondorians were easily spotted among these types of crowds. Simply look for the men with wings on their heads.  
  
Midway through the night, she went to the bar to scavenge for a nice flask of sake. Unfortunately, Middle Earth didn't stock the Japanese rice wine, so she had to settle for a glass of white elf wine. As she lingered at the table, she spotted three men clunking their wooden tankards together and drinking thirstily. They were laughing loudly a deeply. Obviously, they were drunk. She eyed them suspiciously as their disoriented antics frightened a few ladies and aggravated the dwarves.   
  
The men, noticing that she was staring at them, parted their way through the dancing crowds and lingered about a yard away from her. As she tried to casually avoid them by walking away, one of them stepped up to her.  
  
"Well we have a pretty little miss here, don't we?" he said loud enough for her and his fellows to hear. They nodded as they took another gulp of their liquor. Naurglahad was disgusted and her eyes narrowed. "Would you care to have some real elf wine?" He offered his own glass. Naurglahad nearly blanched, but she took a whiff of the stuff.  
  
"Have you any idea what wine this is?" she asked, her eyes still narrowed. Then men looked at each other, slightly baffled, "This is wine imported from Mirkwood. One tankard of it is strong enough to knock out even an elf. I suggest that you be cautious with it."  
  
"Ah!" he replied, not taking his eyes off Naurglahad, "So gorgeous here isn't just pretty." He paced around her, "She's smart and fiery!" He stopped behind her and murmured in her ear, "That's the way I like 'em!"  
  
"Excuse me," said an only too familiar voice. Naurglahad recognized it of course, and whipped around to face Legolas with a look of rage. She felt that he underestimated her, after all he knew she was capable of. Legolas ignored her glare and continued speaking, "I believe you are distressing her to her annoyance. Could you please leave her alone?"  
  
The man grunted. "And who are you to believe such a thing, elf?" His two companions drifted to his side, forcing Naurglahad in a triangle. "Are you two friends? Or, ho! Are you with her?"  
  
"Clarify that, please." said Legolas, starting to get a little impatient.  
  
"Do you love her?"   
  



	17. Fire

**Disclaimer:** Don't own LOTR, but I own everything else!   
  


* * *

  
  
** I STAND ALONE**  
_  
  
"Do you love her?"  
  
_ The four words echoed through Legolas' mind. He pondered about them ever so carefully for what seemed to be ages. The first answer was 'no', but there was a small light in the darkness of that 'no'. It was a tiny flame. Or was it? Suddenly, the flame burst into a massive wall of inferno, and darkness was nowhere to be seen. The light bounced upon the walls of his thoughts and spread about like... exactly like fire. It was fire. Everywhere. And then it died. It was dark again. But then the flame came back. All of this happened in one microsecond.  
  
"No, I do not _love_ her," he replied to the man's question; he looked at Naheka. His eyes widened, "But she will severely maim your skull if you don't move away from her!"  
  
In a flash, Naheka put down the steak knife she had snagged from the table and raised, just in time for the men to turn and see its glimmering blade undisturbed. They turned back to Legolas and glared at him. Naheka's bitter crested eyes lingered upon the blade of the knife again as her fingers slowly drifted to its wooden carved handle. Legolas was about to shout at her when his ears caught the end of one song, and the beginning to another. He had a better idea.  
  
She had just pricked the handle of the knife when he suddenly extended his hand and asked, "Will you dance with me?"  
  
Naheka pushed out a friendly smile from under her fury and grasped his hand. He led her away from the triangle of men, who looked quite upset that an elf had just taken away a worthy customer. They each drank the last few gulps of their Mirkwood imported wine, then immediately fell to the floor with a _thud_; drunk and tired.  
  
"How dare you defend me!" whispered Naheka furiously as she did the proper footwork of the dance beside Legolas. The piece was a solo fiddler accompanied by drums*, making it a rather popular jig favored by people all over Middle Earth.  
  
"I had to!" replied Legolas in the same tone, "Someone would have died tonight if I hadn't stopped you!"  
  
"I wasn't going to kill them!...Just...maim them that's all!" Legolas sighed as he took her by the waist and hand in procession of the next few segments of the piece.  
"But I would still like to know why you defended me."   
  
"I just told you; so that you wouldn't annihilate that man's head."  
  
"But you spoke before I touched the knife. I would like to know why that happened." She twirled as the music picked up another segment.  
  
"You seemed to... be quite disturbed."  
  
"That ain't the reason. Don't lie."   
  
Legolas didn't reply. He only continued to dance as the song started to come to an end; the moves became grace fuller, slower... and closer.  
  
"You were jealous weren't you?" she said suddenly. Once again, his heart rose in the pillars of flame. It was screaming '_Yes! Yes! That's the reason!_'; but darkness consumed the flames once more. "Jealous..." he became tense. What if she figured what he felt---no! He didn't feel anything! Nothing! "Jealous that he could tick me off more easily than you could!" He relaxed. Naheka's bright jade eyes temporarily lit to a flaming emerald. She had noticed his arms and chest had once been nearly flexed, as if he had been nervous, then contracted soothingly at her last words.   
  
She noticed a lot of things about him. She caught the estimated rate of his blood pressure through his muscles; the way his eyes would sharply dart in precise directions when he was suspicious; the way his golden hair brushed over his strong shoulders when the autumn winds caressed his perfect skin that wasn't sparkling, but in a way was shining; how the mere whisper of his lovely elven voice impacted so much passion in her heart---"_Naheka! Shut the frickin' hell up!_" she screamed at herself inwardly.  
  
Suddenly, time seemed to slow down with the music. Legolas twirled Naheka with one hand as the violin slid on the string with a perfect chord, ending the dance with the female bent back in the arms of the male. Everything to them was lost at that very moment. That solid block of time where it all faded and all their fights and conflicts were sucked into the void that was the pupils of each other's eyes. Her eyes were like precious emeralds that glimmered in the dark, and his a crystal blue that to some showed even more things than a palantiri. There was a thunderous boom each time one of their hearts beat, and with each beat they came closer together.  
  
Then, there was loud applause and clapping! They immediately broke apart and stood up straight. They had danced their way right into a specially lit circle, surrounded by a crowd of clapping hobbits, men, dwarves, and elves. Even Galadriel and Celeborn were cheering. The whole time they had been dancing and switching emotions, they were being watched... by all the hundred people that came to the banquet.  
  
Naheka turned immediately. She saw the two dark forest green orbs glare at her in shame again. He was always watching her, and now she knew he had the final task assignment for her.  
  
"I have to go." she said quietly, pushing her way through the clapping crowd that watched her until she turned out of sight along another corridor. Legolas watched her leave. He suddenly felt empty, as if part of him had left his soul. He shook it off and exited the hall in the opposite direction. He needed a place of solitude.  
  
Elenwe sat back in the crowd, watching it all happen. But then an idea clouded his thoughts. Destiny was calling.   
  
Elenwe was about to follow Naheka to the gate of her own dorm, but then he stopped. Instead, he ran to his own room, and snatched his wooden bow and a quiver of arrows. He doubted he would ever need it, but he also unraveled the Black Arrow from its velvet wrappings. He was about to return to Naheka, when a thought stopped him. "Why am I doing this?" he thought, "Why am I so... obsessed... with her...?" Then, he realized it. He loved her. Elenwe admired Naheka for everything she did. He could praise every bit of grass she laid her feet upon, every second that she breathed, and every time she glanced at him with those lovely green eyes. He stood at his doors for a very, very long time.  
  
Then, there was a huge explosion. A bright, violent yellow and red flashed throughoutall of Lothlorien. There immediately came the sound of terrified screaming, and then there was black smoke and ashes consuming the scent over mallorn leaves. Elenwe burst out of his room. Naheka could be in danger, and Legolas too.   
  
He scrambled up a tree, and jumped from close branch to close branch. His light elven feet took his swiftly to the limbs that extended over River Nimrodel. His eyes scanned the flowing waters, but he found it on the banks.  
  
Trembling, he felt for the arrow in his quiver, and set it in his bow. His aim switched it's target, back and forth, but he rested it on a good target. A worthy target. He waited, breathless for the right moment.  
  
Then, he fired the Black Arrow.  
  
  
** ~*~**  
  
"You do plan on-"  
  
"Yes, father. Of course. I have the right idea."  
  
Naheka, now out of her elf gown, examined each painful looking blade and contraption that lay on her bed. She put a slender finger to her chin, pondering carefully. Now, she was wearing he forearms length, finger tip less gloves, but this time, she wore her black set, along with a sleeveless olive shirt. Black leather pants covered her legs, and on her hips a metal linked cartridge belt rested. She had taken off her chain, and now it rested on a link of her belt.  
  
Onikunshu came to his daughter's side and also gazed upon each weapon. His and her identical eyes suddenly rested upon an iron black handled knife with an alabaster textured blade. Long was the length, and it had nasty jagged teeth on one end, and a smooth, yet curvy edge on the other. Naheka delicately picked up her favorite knife, which she named Dragonsilk. Running her thumb along the blade, she only laughed derisively as it cut her own skin, three drips of blood splattering to the white, pearly floor. Some would have thought she was mad, taking pleasure in making herself bleed, but in Ryunarasu tradition, three drops of her own blood that fell to the floor in a row, meant good luck in any crime you were to commit. She was going to murder someone tonight.  
  
"Just to make sure," said Onikunshu, placing a hand on Naheka's shoulder, "Tell me what you plan to do."  
  
"He is... mourning on the shores of the river. I'll put an end to his misery, and all the trouble he has caused us." She spun around and threw Dragonsilk directly into the doorway, where it stuck directly in the minute keyhole of the door. The lock on the door snapped, and the doorknob fell to the floor.   
  
Onikunshu snatched the knife from its perfect target and grinned. "And what's the other thing you have to remember?" he asked gently. Naheka giggled as she smiled up at her father.  
  
"I still don't know why we do this," she sighed. Onikunshu shrugged. "Go for the neck," she said childishly, pointing under his chin, "And if it runs, spear out the eyes," she placed a thumb on his left eye, "Then stab his heart." She put a hand to his chest. Their eyes met a father-daughter relationship as she felt his heart beating under her palm.  
  
"That's right," he said, handing Dragonsilk to her, "Now get along. And don't hesitate. Be confident." and just as he was about to sneak out the window, he added, "Don't fade."  
  
Those were his last words before he jumped off the sill, and soared up into the crystal night as a dragon. Naheka watched his take place near Nimrodel. Then, twirling Dragonsilk in her hand and placing it in her scabbard, she also went out the window and leapt upon the trees.  
  
She jumped swiftly like a ninja, occasionally leaping above the tree branches and into the sky. Then, she reached a branch that overlooked the river.   
  
There he was, sitting quietly on the bank, not saying a word and only staring into the river's current.   
  
"This shall be only too easy."  
  
Slinking down the tree like a snake, she crept up behind him stealthily. He did not sense her presence. Then, she stood, whipped out Dragonsilk and pressed it against his throat.  
  
She cackled evilly. "Well, well, well." she began walking around him, keeping the blade against his neck, "Aren't we just so lucky. Lucky to be... destroyed by the finest bounty hunter in all of Middle Earth and Real World." She laughed again. "Sorry to say, son, but I have to kill you. You are just, too much in the way of my progress, and I'll just have to... sacrifice you. Well, son? You got any last words?" She sat on one knee in front of him, the knife still at his throat.  
  
"I have." replied Legolas softly. His cerulean eyes never left their position in front of Naheka's.  
  
Naheka punched him, hard. Legolas coughed, and almost spit out blood. "Well? Then say it out loud! Or you'll be buried in the silence of your own stutter!"  
  
Legolas sighed. He had to say it now. He had been pondering over it for the last hour, an hour that seemed to have lasted for years and years. Now the time had come. Destiny was calling.  
  
"I love you."  
  
At first, Naheka froze, completely paralyzed. She couldn't have heard correctly. She spat harshly, "What did you say?"  
  
"I said, I love you."  
  
Naheka's blood boiled to it's peak. Her dragon instincts were overcoming her, madly. Her teeth were beginning to sharpen in her mouth, and her saliva turned to acid.   
  
"You lie! You lie!" she roared, her form slowly changing. Legolas completely ignored her.  
  
"I speak the truth," he bravely stood up to her and touched her cheek, which was starting to harden with auburn scales. At the touch of his hand, Naheka could feel her blood rise again, but this time not in anger. Her features resumed her normal Ryunarasu human form. She suddenly seemed to relax, almost melting at his touch. Her glare softened and soon it came into a transfixed stare. Her dragon instincts caused her to growl, exactly like a wild beast being tamed by a loving owner.  
  
Suddenly, Legolas was knocked hard over into the water. Something or someone had pushed him in. His eyes were shut tight as he heard huge, thunderous noises boomed on the grass of Nimrodel. There was a blasting roar. At first, it sounded like a tigers, then it fierceness. There was more throatal concentration in the sound. It sounded like a monster! Legolas opened his eyes. A frighteningly enormouswhirlwind, full of flames that swirled in the darkness like vultures exploded out of the trees. It was a massive flaming tornado that spun for only a few moments. But in those few moments, Legolas looked above him.  
  
Naheka had positioned herself on top of him, forcing him into the safety of the river. She too was looking into the blaze with a look of fear and amazement in her eyes. He could tell that she knew something that he didn't. Obviously, it had to do something with the fire blast, which had now subsided, resulting in a blackened landscape. All the mallorn trees within fifty yards had been burned down. It was a sad sight to see, watching brown leaves trail off by the wind into the distance. No flames had been left behind. Just ash.  
  
But neither Legolas or Naheka paid much attention to the destruction. The void had completely consumed them both, and they lay in the river, silently gazing into each other's eyes.  
  
The sound of screaming, cursing, and shouting reached both their ears. Torch lights were appearing ahead. The elves and peoples in Lorien were rushing toward Nimrodel to see what had happened.  
  
In a flash, Naheka had gotten up, leapt out of the water, and took off into the air as a dragon, leaving Legolas to stand there and watch her fly away.  
  
But no, he wasn't just going to stand there and watch her fly away. He was going to follow her. This time, he would run even across an ocean to catch up with her.  
  
He scrambled out of the current, and headed off after her, following the shadow she made on the silver grass.  
  
In his panic, he hadn't noticed a dark arrow pierce the shores of Nimrodel, and someone else flee from the scene, to mount the swiftest horse and race back to Mirkwood, where a second dragon also flew into the night.  
  


* * *

  



	18. The Whole Long Way

** Disclaimer:** I don't own LOTR. Tolki  
  


* * *

**  
I STAND ALONE  
**  
  
  
He wasn't going to lose her. Not now, not ever.  
  
Legolas sprinted swifter then an ewe through the trees of Lothlorien, following the huge shadow that flew across trees in the crystal night sky. An auburn dragon was the source of that shadow, and it flew like lightning. He dodged in and out of obstacles, leaping over fallen trees and dashing ahead of standing ones. He was lucky that the shadow had changed back into a human, and had landed in a nearby clearing, as he was about to completely lose track of its route.  
  
He pushed through some bushes and popped out into the clearing. She stood there in the wind, muttering something to herself as she reached behind her neck and fumbled with something very tiny. He couldn't see what she was doing, but it must have had some kind of magic to it, as her hair lightened in the moonlight and she seemed to lose the darkness that had succumbed her earlier.   
  
Quietly with his elven feet, he stepped up behind her. Then, he touched her shoulder.  
  
Naheka shrieked and whipped around. She suddenly seemed to fear him as she attempted to run again, but this time, he caught her hand. She tried to wriggle out of his grasp, but he just seemed too strong. She pleaded with him.  
  
"Please, Legolas!" she cried, still jerking and pulling away from him, "Let me go! I don't love you! And you can't love me! Stop it! Please! Let go-"  
  
"Ssshhh," ushered Legolas, pressing a finger to her lips once more, "Calm down. No one is going to hurt you."  
  
"That's not what I am afraid of!" she screamed, still struggling. Legolas aslowlynd carefully pulled her hand back. She was completely physically in his power. She was forced to stop moving.  
  
"Then what are you afraid of?" he asked, now gently with one hand turning her head to face him. She panicked again, but she didn't squirm. Sweat began to trickle down the side of her face.  
  
"I am afraid of... " her voice trailed off. What was she afraid of? What was she afraid of? What did she have to worry about now? She fell completely silent.  
  
"Are you afraid of falling in love?" he said suddenly.   
  
Naheka couldn't stand it. She whipped out Dragonsilk once more and this time pressed the tip to his chest.  
  
"One false move," she muttered angrily, not taking her eyes off Legolas' still placid face, "And you can have Dragon," she tapped the jagged edge," sawing at your lungs, and Silk," pointing to the smooth blade, " slowly shredding the rest of you in half! Now tell me again, what did you say?"  
  
"I said I love you. And that is true." he _slowly_ lowered the point of the knife down, "I do not fear you." Soon, Dragonsilk rested at Naheka's side. She was completely hypnotized by his gaze.  
  
Then, Dragonsilk hit the fertile soil as Legolas gently brushed his soft lips against Naheka's. She completely melted and would have fallen to the dirt aside Dragonsilk if he hadn't wrapped his arms around her slender waist, supporting her back with one hand and her head with the other. Her fine line of serious thoughts were immediately drowned in an ocean of passion and mixed emotions. Onikunshu was telling her to smack him and run away, while Narcissus told her to relax and not move. But Naheka wasn't going to listen to either of them. Not now. She would listen to her heart, and what she wanted to do.  
  
Instantly regaining her strength, she stood upright and forced her lips to make powerful contact with Legolas'. She kept pushing and tasting, embracing every timeless second of this precious moment until he began losing sense himself. Then, almost sweating and breathing as if he had bounded up Cadharas in three seconds, he pulled out of the kiss. They stared at each other. Startledness was prior in each of their eyes, but a sense of hunger also lingered behind it.  
  
"Why did you stop?" Naheka asked, brushing a strand of gold hair out of his face and tenderly tucking it behind his ear, "Don't stop now."  
  
Legolas suddenly found his hand caressing the delicate outlines of her face. Then, he put a finger under her chin and said to her, "Then I'll keep going."  
  
  
  
**~*~**  
  
  
  
Elenwe strained to prevent tears sliding down his face as he rode swiftly north back to Mirkwood on a white horse from the stables. How could she betray him like that?   
  
He saw Naheka and his master, together. Again, how could she betray him? How could she dance in the light of Legolas' hidden passion, when his affection obviously shone brighter than his master's? It didn't make any sense! He became angry, and soon furious that she had rejected him. Why? Why? None of the puzzle pieces, which he had none of, fit together. He was lost, and by the second losing himself even more as rage and angst began to consume his mind.  
  
For some reason, this new emotion seemed so familiar. It coursed through his veins as if it had been there before.  
  
His horse was starting to get tired. Elenwe didn't blame him. They were almost out of Lorien by now. He steered him next to the flowing river water Anduin, where the horse staggered and rested before bending over to drink some water. Elenwe sat impatiently and watched him quench his thirst, but he still had a thirst of his own to fill. He strode to the horse to ask him in Sindarin if he was finished drinking yet, when he glanced in the water.  
  
He looked back. His reflection glared angrily up at him with narrowed eyes and a face scrunched up in malice. A rather deceptive looking character. Familiar somehow. He gazed at himself for a few minutes.   
  
Then, it hit him.   
  
His reflection had formed not to an angry Elenwe, but a normal Wethrinaer. Now he could imagine himself despising people of other races, like Naheka, and wanting to destroy them with arrows of doom and evil weapons, and taking pleasure in things his father wanted. He could see himself hand in hand with a pale, black haired elf maiden wearing the same wretched expression upon her face, actually enjoying her foul company.   
  
He touched his reflection. It rippled and faded back into his present image. Now he was terrified and sad. He found that it wasn't his destiny to be with Naheka, maybe to love her, but not to stand beside her.   
  
The horse seemed to know what he was thinking, as it nuzzled his chest with its nose comfortingly. Elenwe stroked the horse in a way of saying thank you.   
  
Suddenly, out of the sky, someone came falling. He crashed through the trees, and landed with a painful thud on his right arm near the Anduin. Elenwe immediately came to his side, and turned him over. It was a rather gaunt Man with shoulder-length black hair, wearing all black. He seemed to be unconscious and in serious need of help.  
  
Elenwe hesitated. Should he ride to Mirkwood, or back to Lorien? If he went to Mirkwood, it might be too late for this man to live (he thought the man's gauntness was unnatural, and it was) but if he went back to Lorien, he'd live, but he would have to face Legolas and Naheka. What would he do?  
  
  
  
** ~*~**  
  
  
  
"And there was one thing I forgot to mention," said Naheka at the entrance to her dormitory later that night. She pulled Legolas' head down to kiss him on the cheek and murmur in his ear, "I love you too."  
  
Legolas reddened slightly. Naheka smiled and turned to open the doors. As soon as she placed a hand on the door knob, she seethed and clutched her stomach. Legolas directly came down to the floor next to her. Naheka's eyes were widening and was in great pain. In the light of the moon, he gasped to see that her emerald eyes occasionally flashed to a blood red. Her skin too was also paling.   
  
She cried, "What is happening?! Argh! It hurts! It hurts! Make it stop! AAAHHH!"  
  
He took her in his arms as soon as she began holding her head, shutting her eyes tight as if she were trying to block out something. Then, she started screaming. She sounded like she was on fire. He picked her up and looked around for some way of assistance. Her shrieks got louder and louder as the pain inside her was burning up.   
  
Lights glowed on all around Lothlorien as Legolas rushed to find an elf that specialized in healing. He found a maiden rushing to the entrance of the guest dorms. She was a Healer, and immediately summoned two servants to help take Naheka into the healing chambers. She was still screaming and a single tear streamed down her face.   
  
Tears also nearly came to Legolas' face, but he had to be strong as he followed the Healer and her servants into another area of trees.  
  
But in another place, in another time, thousands of people were shrieking and crying. Their eyes turned red, and their skin came white. They rolled out of their beds, fell from the skies, and was caught by authorities who found them in illegal areas, and identified them as a member of the most dangerous clans in all of the worlds.  
  
  



	19. Fallen and Defeated

** Disclaimer:** JRR Tolkien owns LOTR.  
  


* * *

  
**  
**** I STAND ALONE**  
  
Naurglahad kept screaming as she writhed and tossed recklessly on the white sheeted bed. The assistants made attempts to hold her down, but she snapped at them with lengthening jaws.  
  
"No! Stop!" she kept shrieking, "Nooo! Owww! Please, go away! Make it go away!"  
  
Legolas took her hand and held it tightly. She seemed to relax, but only slightly. The Healer was flipping through the pages of a very old looking scripture. She passed each page with a look of unsatisfaction on her already fretting face. She quickly set the book aside and was about to perform a basic elvish chant, when suddenly there came more screaming.  
  
It was a man's screaming, and he was immediately carried into the room and placed on the bed next to Naurglahad. Their identicalness were almost uncanny. At the sight of him, she wiped her tears away and hollered,  
  
"What's going on?! Why is this happening-agh!- to us?!"  
  
The man gritted his teeth, "It's The Consequence, Naurglahad! The Consequence! What did you do now, you idiot girl?!"  
  
"_The Consequence?_" thought Legolas, "_What is that?_"  
  
The elves in the room looked back and forth to each of them. They seemed to be related. This man was probably Naurglahad's father.   
  
Naurglahad became angry. "Don't call me an idiot!" she roared.  
  
"Why not? All your actions are an idiot's worth of work!"  
  
"No they aren't! You always do this!" suddenly, she flung herself out of bed, still hyperventilating. Her cries of pain suddenly vanished, "You are a wicked father! Why can't you just accept me, like how you do when I do things before you tell me? I am already more than enough!"  
  
The man also flipped out of bed and stood to face his raging daughter. "Do not defy what you must obey! I am your master, and your father!"  
  
"You will not be master any longer then!" she made to charge at him, but Legolas grabbed her from under her arms.  
  
"Naurglahad! Control yourself!" he said, pulling back with all his might.  
  
But somehow, with an unseen force, he was blown away by her energy and nearly flew into the wall. As other elves came to his side, Naurglahad and the man had taken to the window, and jumped out into the air.  
  
"They're crazy!" shrieked the Healer following Legolas to watch them fall to the earth.  
  
"No they aren't!" cried Legolas, looking up at the moon, "They're...they," he gasped, "They're dragons!"  
  
Two dragons, one black and the other brown were racing out of Lorien at the speed of light. They were flying alongside each other, occasionally ramming each otherin aattemptto knock one another out of the air. They swooped dangerously low over the trees, blowing golden leaves everywhere, sstartlingeven more citizens.   
  
Legolas with several other elves exited the Healing Quarters and mounted swift white horses, riding along the trail of chaos that had erupted throughout Lorien. They kept looking up through the branches against the crescent moon to check if they were under or still behind the flying beasts.  
  
"They're in a clearing!" announced one elf pointing in another direction. Legolas took the lead and turned in the direction the elf had just pointed in. It was the same clearing that he had visited before. They were just about to go through a line of trees, when they were suddenly smashed down by the blackdragon.  
  
"Get off your horses!" cried Legolas, leaping off his steed, "Make room or they'll crush us!"  
  
The scene brightened as flames shot in the north direction. There were dragons roaring and stomping against the ground. The elves peered through the trees and bushes occasionally to witness what was going on between the two monsters.  
  
"They are dueling!"  
  
Indeed, Naurglahad and Onikunshu were. After the race over the trees, Onikunshu had successfully slammed Naurglahad into the dirt. As he darted at her to finish her off, she had whacked him with her tail. She shot a jet of flames, but it was no use. Dragons are immune to flames, and Onikunshu only blasted it back with his wings.  
  
It was an amazing sight to see. Two giants fighting with all their strength to destroy each other.   
  
After a few more missed far range attacks, they took off into the sky again and hovered up by the moon. Their images became silhouettes, and it was impossible, even with elf eyes, to see who was who.   
  
It was fierce aerial combat, involving smashing, flaming, roaring, and attempts to gore each other with the razor sharp crowns upon their heads. The earth shook with each blow, and their fighting only became angrier and intense. Everyone who watched them fight that night were sweating with fear if either Mortals...or Dragons... died in this gruesome brawl, or if they fell from the night and crunched their beautiful mallorn forests. Finally, one dragon gave the other an upper-cut, and gave it a hard, sharp bite in its thick neck. The dragon roared as they saw gallons* of dark red, almost black blood spew from the wound. Legolas could only hope, as he watched the dragon fall from the the sky, that it wasn't Naurglahad.  
  
_ BOOM!_  
  
The dragon that remained in the air roared triumphantly as it flew away into the distance, perhaps, never to be seen again.  
  
The elves cautiously pulled the leaves apart to examine the fallen beast that lay dying on the shimmering grass of the clearing. They looked closer. The light of the paling moon revealed the outline changing back into a human. Legolas instantly recognized that outline.  
  
"Naurglahad!"  
  
She lay bleeding to death in the crater that her dragon form had created. When Legolas reached her, he found that her limbs were torn and scratched. Burn marks seared her fore-arms and she had a deep red scar on her right eye. But the worst thing was that she had a serious gash splitting at her neck where she had been bitten.  
  
Legolas attempted to pick her up again to take her back for healing, when she coughed and shook her head.  
  
"It is no use, Legolas," she whispered. The light in her eyes slowly began to fade, instantly cutting Legolas' own heart, "I am dying."  
  
"I know that!" he cried, "And that is why we have to get you some help! I will get you healed! You'll be safe!"  
  
"Stop.... Don't waste your energy. I'm sorry, but I have to," she choked and coughed out blood. It stained her shirt. "I have to leave you now... forever." Legolas couldn't stop the tears from flowing down his face, and neither could Naurglahad, but she smiled up at him through them, "I wish I could have been with you for longer.." she grinned softly, "I had plans."  
  
Legolas smiled slightly, but not even for a moment. Out of the bushes, more elves and people came through. Elenwe was among them. A crowd of races began forming behind them. All was silent except for the quiet sobs that came from Legolas.  
  
"I'm leaving now," she murmured, "Good bye.... I love you."  
  
She closed her eyes, just as Legolas kissed her one last time. Through the silence of his tears, he could feel her lips return his kiss. Then, they turned cold.  
  
She was dead.  
  
Elenwe came rushing to Legolas' side as he held Naurglahad close to his chest, close to his heart. She didn't breath, and her heart wasn't beating. An everlasting winter consumed his soul as he felt her body turn to ice. She was gone. They had only realized their love for each other for a few precious hours, maybe even only one hour; one glorious, paradise found hour. She was gone.  
  
That night, there was sorrow from everyone. Though not all had known her, they had each felt pity for the Prince of Mirkwood's agony. But he was impacted the most. And that night, he had one wish, and only one wish:  
  
"_If only tears could bring you back..._"   
  


* * *

  
  
*gallons in dragon equivalnce I think is like_ a lot_ of dripping....  
  



	20. Realization

**Disclaimer: **I don't own LOTR, JRR Tolkien does.  
**  
**

* * *

  
** I STAND ALONE**  
  
  
  
Naurglahad was dead. Why? Because her father had killed her. But why had her father killed her? Because he thought she had done something stupid to unleash The Consequence, whatever that was.   
  
That was the real question: What was The Consequence?  
  
  
** ~*~**  
  
  
Legolas sat miserably in the faithful tree branch of an ancient mallorn tree. It overlooked the freezing Anduin January waters. Ice had completely covered the outskirts of Lothlorien. The contrast between the inner forest, and the outer forest was amazing.   
  
It was very cold up in the branch that he sat in, but Legolas didn't care. The snow was nothing in comparison to the sharp frost that blazed in his heart. He turned and expected her to be standing behind him, or to meet one of her snowballs (which sometimes had rocks in them). But nothing came. He jumped down from his perch and started to walk back to the campsite where Elenwe was, but he the sound of crackling footsteps came near him. He looked over his shoulder.   
  
And no one was there. He stood in the snow wit hhis light elven feet, listening carefully. He thought her heard her laughter in a passing breeze. But he knew it wasn't her laughter. It was just the evils of nature, taunting him; teasing him; laughing at him.  
  
He cursed the next sound that came to his ears, which was heaving flapping like one of the birds that only came to Naurglahad. He kept walking and ignored it.  
  
He should have turned.  
  
  
** ~*~**  
  
  
Onikunshu observed the lesser dragons that sat all around him. There were five of them, one white, one red, another green, a third blue, and a shiny copper one. He had reached Mirkwood last night in only five minutes, and he took hospitality with the creatures he rested with.  
  
"And what is your name?" spoke the white gently in dragon tongue, "We accept your presence here. Mother accepts all dragon visitors."  
  
"I am Oni." Onikunshu replied darkly. The others bowed their heads in greetings, "I am only passing by." he added.  
  
"All is well then." she said gracefully, "I am Asira. This is my brother, Firestorm, and my sister, Jade."  
  
"Cerulean is my mate," said Firestorm, "And our son, Joey." he nuzzled the copper dragon which was about half the size of the others.  
  
"My son Malta," said Asira, "and my mate Ikaika are out with the Prince of Greenwood and Mother. I haven't seen or heard from either of them for..." she inwardly counted the days and weeks quickly, "at least three months. I am worried about them---"  
  
"Worried?" inquired Onikunshu, "Why should you be worried?"  
  
The dragons all stared at him with shock.  
  
"What do you mean, '_why_'?" said Firestorm sharply, raising on one front paw, "They could be dead for all we know!"  
  
"They are dead."  
  
Asira, though an already pearly white, seemed to turn parchment white. She roared angrily.  
  
"What do you speak of? My son is the strongest Dragon Middle Earth has ever seen!" she bellowed, standing on two feet, beating her gold tinted wings ,furiously "You lie to us!"  
  
"They have both been slaughtered," muttered Onikunshu. His tone was calm, but it was still in a morbid way, "I have seen them. They have been long dead, by two even mightier Dragons. But you should have seen that they would die someday. You knew it would happen."  
  
"I couldn't care less! I loved them, and they have been taken away from me!" she started thrashing, but none of the dragons attempted to cease her rage, for Asira was the strongest creature that was among them presently, "Who were these dragons?"  
  
Onikunshu raised an amused eyelid* at Asira. "I do not know where they are, but they were last seen three months ago at the feet of the Snowy Mountain."  
  
"Redhorn!"  
  
Without hesitation, Asira blasted off through the cave tunnel and flew out of sight. She was not seen for a very long time after that.  
  
"She is mad," whispered Joey to his mother. She tucked his head away by her stomach.  
  
"She is angry," she corrected. Jade cleared her throat.  
  
"A strange dragon you are, Oni," she said to him, eyeing him suspiciously with narrowed eyes, "How can you not care for your companions? Or have you no companions?"  
  
Onikunshu's eyes definitely narrowed at this point, and they burned with malice for the green beast that sat across him.  
  
"I have many followers," he said acidly, "Thousands of them. But we do not depend on each other. Though we may be together, we stand alone."  
  
"How can you not care for your companions?" Jade asked pointedly again. She was stern and kept her glare fixed on him. "There is no purpose of having followers if you are unwilling to take care of them."  
  
"I am unwilling to tend to each of them individually."  
  
"Then you are heartless, are you not?"  
  
Onikunshu snarled, "Listen here, I many sons, and many daughters. They are each obedient to me and they do not defy me."  
  
Jade looked at him through his eyes. She searched for a long pause of silence before murmuring, "That is a lie." She stood and began to pace around the den, "I sense that you have one child that does not care for you. In fact..." she stopped pacing and sniffed the air, "I sense that she has been slaughtered only last night." she took major note of his unmoved expression, "You refuse care for her because..." she paused midway through her sentence in attempt for her message to slowly wash over his mind.  
  
Onikunshu sat silently, unknowingly letting the effect take over him. He reviewed the events of the night before.   
  
Once he thought that Naurglahad had finally come to her senses, he was let down because she had fallen to her own instincts with that pathetic, lesser elf. That made her weak, foolish, and it brought complete stupidity on her and shame to Ryunarasu.  
  
Then, it hit him.  
  
He had made the same mistake with Narcisuss. His situation was even worse come to think of it. They had met in a city pub one cold, fateful night. He had just gotten off the hook (or barely escaped) a robbery from an art museum to receive about 2 qemba** from a lofty bum that gave him the job as a bounty hunter. She brought so much joy and happiness over a single brandy bottle. Nights and days spent with her were like dreams.... It was only a matter of weeks before they had decided to run away and hopefully live happily ever after.  
  
But dragons blood had haunted Onikunshu. That was when The Consequence should have come. But seemingly, it never did. In his fear, he escaped back to the Realm of the Ryunarasu, and abandoned the only one who had ever brought true happiness to his life, forever. The same thing happened to Naurglahad and whoever that elf was.  
  
That was it! The Consequence! The result of the defiance of the Ryunarasu blood and intermarriage tradition!  
  
"_What have I done?_" Onikunshu thought miserably, "_It wasn't her fault.... It was mine...it was mine._"  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
*Dragons don't have eyebrows, so I had to put eyelid. Do they have eyebrows?  
**1 qemba is equivalant to $1,000  
  
  



	21. Paradise Varies

**Disclaimer:** I do not own LOTR, but Tolkien does!  
  


* * *

**  
I STAND ALONE**  
  
  
  
"I need to go."  
  
Onikunshu stood and slid right through Jade and Firestorm to exit the den and enter the outer forest. It was winter outside and the trees of Mirkwood had shed their orange leaves from the fall. As soon as he had shortly flown about one mile in diameter away from the dragon cave, he changed back into a man and began searching for what he needed.  
  
His plan was to restore Naurglahad's life back to her body. He sensed that her soul was still there, but it was ready to depart for the afterlife at sunset. Looking up at the horizon, it seemed that he only had five hours. After about one half-hour he came upon a dying nightingale in a large settlement that had about twenty different types of beasts other than horses. He passed by dragon eggs in an incubary, large elephantine beasts and a particularly nasty looking creature that looked like a pterodactyl It automatically screechedat him as if it wanted food. He didn't take pity on it, but it wouldn't shut up, so he tossed a slice of meat that he found in a crate. But he took the bird he found with him. He would need it for his plan.  
  
Escaping just as a few elf guards came marching round the corner, he changed back into a dragon and headed south to the glimmering dot that only his dragon eyes could see. It was the Golden Wood that he was heading for. Upon his guess, Naurglahad's body would be heading north to this forest today. It was lucky for him that he could fly swiftly.  
  
  
  
By the next half-hour, he had thudded silently near the settlement of the elves. Not wanting to take any risks, he sent a minute spider as his spy to locate where Naurglahad was. He watched it crawl up and into a tree and waited for it to return. As he waited, he checked the time; four hours until sunset. Soon, the spider came back with the information he needed. It told him that she was lying in a locked casket at the exit to the royal headquarters, somewhat eighty paces from the west side of the River Nimrodel.  
  
He departed the spider and took his given directions. He found an assembly of elves gathered at the exit. A lady was making a little speech to the crowd, capturing everyone's attention completely. From high in the trees, he spotted the chestnut casket resting in the center of the crowd; a dark haired elf and a blonde one standing beside it.  
  
"_Damn_," he thought, "_I'm too late for an easy operation.... This is going to be trickier than I assumed it would be._"  
  
He watched the two elves depart the lady and mount two horses. The casket was carried after them by more elves. Time was getting short, and so were the chances of him being able to carry out his mission before sunset. As they entered the wild of the forest, he came up with a perfect distraction. He would have to aim for one of the higher praised elves of the team. Transforming back into a dragon, he flew at one of the elves who was alone next to a tree. He inhaled.  
  
Then, he fired.  
  
  
** ~*~**  
  
  
Legolas dove at the snow covered ground just in time to avoid a huge blast of flames coming from behind him. Swiftly rolling on his back, he took out his bow and two arrows, aiming them up at a black dragon that had just smashed down into the frost, nearly crushing him. The dragon looked like it was about to trample him to death when it paused and stared at him. It gazed at him curiously, examining his features and his expression. It snorted a few sparks at him, then it prepared to launch another flame at him.  
  
The dragon missed.  
  
Legolas leaped upon the dragon's shoulder and ran down its spine, jumping off its tail just before it raised and nearly cleaved his head off. Then, he slid on his back and fired the two arrows under the tail and directly into its belly. A few drips of blood seeped from both wounds. The dragon turned on him angrily and smashed him into unconsciousness under a nearby tree.  
  
He hadn't recovered for at least twenty-four hours, but he did remember a few things.  
  
He remembered some kind of strange sounds coming from the dragon. He had heard it from somewhere, but he couldn't recall. But in his elvish heart, he could sense that it translated to: "_She is yours._"   
  
After that, he remembered a dark man smiling at him.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Legolas.... Legolas.... Wake up, Legolas."  
  
Legolas felt a sense of warmth touch his cheek. It was a bit rough and scratched, but it seemed so smooth to his skin and soft to his heart. He liked the feel. His eyes eased open.  
  
Emeralds lined with jade was the first thing he saw.  
  
"_No_," he thought harshly, "_It is only my mind playing games on me again.... Curse these illusions..._"  
  
The green jewels narrowed. The voice that had called him to his wakening spoke again, but this time it wasn't as soothing.  
  
"In case you're wondering," it said, "this isn't the _Night of the Living Dead_...or whatever you elves call it.... It's not stupid trick thing! Wake up!"  
  
Legolas reluctantly opened his eyes. Everything blurry came into vision again. Elenwe was standing above him, surrounded by a small group of Lorien elves. The star crested sky was night and winter was still upon them. But how cold the weather would be he didn't care for at the moment, for it would be wonderfully warm if what he saw directly above him was true.  
  
Naurglahad held him in her arms with an impatient, though very relieved expression on her face. She smiled at him as she helped him up into a sitting position.  
  
"I thought you had died there for a moment," she chuckled, "What a _ shame_ you lived."   
  
Legolas stared at her in disbelief for a while before he looked at her crossly and said, "I thought _you_ had died." Naurglahad rolled her eyes up at a random tree branch some three yards away from them. Suddenly, he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her close, "But I'm glad you lived." They smiled at each other through happiness arched eyes. "Where have you been all this time?"  
  
She sighed as she watched a single snowflake fall from the stars and rest on the now selected, un-random branch. "In the afterlife, resting in the Riches, but I told Them that I would rather be down here rather than up there in Paradise," She leaned her forehead against his, "For I have my own Paradise with you."  
  
Their lips met in another gentle caress as a single shooting star stroke across the night sky which lightened in a dawning pink in the announcement of sunrise.  
  
  
** ~*~**  
  
  
After the day had passed and the Lorien elves had returned home, Naurglahad winked a goodnight at Legolas as she drew into her own time alone. She couldn't stop smiling. But as she lay her head upon her blankets to fall asleep, a silver shadow darted over the moon and dropped an envelope at her side. Picking it up, she found that her name in dragon symbols were written. She tore the letter open. It was all written in the dragon script. In translation, it read:  
  
_Dear Naurglahad,  
  
I want to you to forget everthing that has ever happened to you in your past life. You are a curse to the Ryunarasu clan, and as Lord, I forbid that you make contact with any Ryunarasu ever again. I have told your siblings, uncles, aunts, and cousins that you have tragically died in an avalanche and that they do not seek for your body. Fade from us.  
  
To re-enforce this, you cannot become a full fledged dragon again. Your chain's genetic system has been reversed. Now, you become your mother with it off, and yourself with it on. The chain has been deleted. It cannot come back, and no one knows how the chain was made. You shall be stuck the way you are forever. I have also blocked up each dimension traveler so that it cannot teleport to Center-earth._  
  
"Middle-earth," thought Naurglahad, "My father is aging. Oh god."  
  
_Do not worry about me. I will be off to find people that I have to get in touch with... one last time.  
  
_ Naurglahad raised an eyebrow. It was seldom that her father put spaces like that in his text._  
  
If the elves give you trouble, don't call and don't hesitate on whipping a knife on them.   
-Onikunshu_  
  
_PS- That other elf has passed my approval. Do what you please with him. And remember: fade. I don't care if it scares you or not. Fade from Ryunarasu.   
_   
_  
_"It's alright father_,_" she said to herself, watching the silver shadow dive into a clump of trees, "_I'm not afraid of fading_."  
  
  



	22. What Fate Has Given

** Disclaimer: **I do not own LOTR, Tolkien does.  
**  
**

* * *

**  
I STAND ALONE**  
  
Naurglahad clung onto Legolas as they had to share the same horse on the way back up to Mirkwood. To them, everything in the world just seemed so perfect and beautiful, though they knew it would not last forever if Thranduil's Council did not approve of them. But for now, they would enjoy their perfect peace together and tossed away all their cares in the world, other than letting go and falling off the horse.  
  
Elenwe rode silently behind them. He was constantly in thought now, still pondering over his emotions. He was glad that Legolas was happy and pleased, but it was because he could take company with the girl they both loved, which made him sad. He had made up his mind that he would never live to tell Naurglahad what he really felt, but his own fire was still burning in his heart. Besides, it was definite that nothing could separate the love between Legolas and Naurglahad. He would just have to accept what fate had given him. Not destiny; fate.  
  
Then, hope dawned on him. It was not meant for him to love this mortal. For now, that was for sure. So, in the meantime, perhaps he could find his destiny, whoever that was with. Now that was destiny, not fate.  
  
  
** ~*~**  
  
  
The gates* to Thranduil's Hall welcomed the return of the prince and his companions with loud horn calls and cheers. The wood-elves of Mirkwood had gathered alongside the bright green grass path to the entrance of the Hall, through which the three travelers had to pass through and immediately announce the news. As they dismounted and walked in a triangular formation down the path, some faces faltered. They didn't see a gorgeously beautiful elf maiden hand in hand with Legolas. The same three companions returned empty handed.  
  
The guards let them into the Hall, and shut the doors after them. Thranduil sat in the center of a long row of advisors. Wethrinaer rested at Thranduil's right hand. He eyed the three of them suspiciously, wondering if there was a certain reason why Naurglahad wasn't dead, but he did notice that her neck was completely covered by a high collar winter shirt. Had she survived the Black Arrow?  
  
Thranduil stood and announced loud and clear, "Welcome home, son Legolas Greenleaf and companions Elenwe Pilininge and Naurglahad Ryunarasu. We have received the following Progress Reports: One each from Rivendell, and one each from Lothlorien. You have returned before you have reached the western shores of the sea-elves. Have you returned in success, or failure, Legolas?"  
  
"We have returned in success, Father." replied Legolas. He looked back at Naurglahad, who smiled confidently at him as she stepped beside him. He took her hand and held it tightly, "I have chosen Naurglahad my love, and fully desire to be with her until the end of my days." Her smile did not fade as all the Council members instantly began muttering amongst themselves. Elenwe caught hinder of the words "far-fetched", "preposterous", and "illegal". Wethrinaer did not say a word. He only glared wrathfully at his son, still trying to figure how Naurglahad survived the arrow or why it hadn't been shot at all. He stood from his seat and made his suggestion.  
  
"We cannot allow this, Lord Thranduil," he said sternly in his political tone, "It is beyond our limits to allow an elf of pure elvish blood to unite with a mere mortal! It is unruly and it shall not pass!"  
  
"But what about the uniting of Lady Arwen Undomiel and Lord Aragorn of Gondor?" spoke another councilman, rising from his seat. Another one stood from his seat on the opposite side of the row.  
  
"Arwen was half-elven," he said, "A pure elf and mortal we cannot accept."  
  
Legolas and Naurglahad stood silently, yet bravely as the Council continued arguing amongst themselves. Thranduil looked down at his son with sorrow in his eyes. He shook his head. Legolas did not move. Then, Wethrinaer stood with their decision. In his hand, he held a small silver bell; the Bell of Judgement**.  
  
"By Ancient Law and Order, we forbid the uniting of Elf Prince Legolas Greenleaf and Mortal Naurglahad Ryunarasu." they watched him turn his wrist to ring the bell, as if everything were in slow motion. Then-  
  
"Stop!" cried Elenwe. The Council turned to him. They had forgotten he was there, "There is no defiance here!" Legolas and Naurglahad looked at him curiously. "Where in Ancient Law and Order does the uniting of an Elf and a Dragon forbid?" Naurglahad's face lit up, and so did Legolas'. "For Naurglahad is not purely human! She is a half Dragon!"  
  
The Council really lit on fire this time, not bothering to whisper their comments to each other. "A Dragon?" "She is a demon!" "It's all lies!" Wethrinaer looked as if he could jump down from his seat and strangle Elenwe to death. Instead, he stood again.  
  
"Prove that you are a Dragon, then, Ms. Ryunarasu," the whole court fell silent. Naurglahad gasped. Failure came to her eyes. Onikunshu had to take away her dragon transformation power away from her during his operation. All hope had left her.  
  
Then, screaming arose from outside the Hall doors. The familiar thudding noises came booming along the grass path. The Hall burst open and in came trotting not a black but silver dragon with gold eyes. Around its neck, someone had tied a long note on a piece of parchment. Naurglahad recognized who's dragon that was and immediately ripped the note off and read the first few paragraphs. She smiled, but she also turned red.  
  
"I have proof for you," she said clearly, stroking the dragon which had decided to take a nap right inside the Hall, "But I feel that my proof is not... appropriate for all audiences!" she began laughing- no, not laughing, _ giggling_ as she turned a very bright red.  
  
None of the councilmen were moved. They didn't quite understand, but Thranduil seemed to. He sighed and put a hand to his forehead. "Show us your evidence, ,Naurglahad" he said almost reluctantly, "_I'm going to regret this in the morning_ ." he added inwardly.  
  
"All right then," she made her way up closer to the councilmen. Then she slowly lifted the hem of her skirt, all the way up to the top of her right knee-high shoe, "Now are you sure that you have to see this? You can turn now if you need to." Some Councilmen closed their eyes while others still had confused looks on their faces. Then, the rest of her skirt was pulled up to her bare thigh. Some eyes widened while others shut tightly.   
  
Her proof was a piece of auburn dragon skin, the exact same brown as her hair. But one of the scary things was that the dragon skin was cut in the shape of a a narrowed eye. Twas the mark of the Ryunarasu.  
  
"Due to surgical reaction," she said to the Council, "I can no longer fully appear as a dragon, however this patch of dragon skin here is my birthmark and cannot be removed...ever. Only dragons who can shape shift to humans have this mark on their thighs." she let her hem drop to its normal position, smiling with satisfaction. No one spoke and only stared at her with awe. The sleeping dragon in the Hall snored, igniting a tapestry to flames. An elf servant had to dash away and throw his glass of water on it to put it out.  
  
Wethrinaer was not moved whatsoever, but he stood again. "The Council still has many things to overlook. When dusk fades to twilight, we shall give you our decision. You are dismissed. But Elenwe, stay."  
  
Legolas and Naurglahad left the Hall, passing Elenwe with a good luck expression on their faces. Elenwe nodded in return. Naurglahad gave the dragon a slight kick to its wake. It yawned, which sounded more like an avalanche scraping down a metal plank, as it stood groggily and turned to follow her out of the Hall, but its eyes caught the roasted tapestry hanging from the ceiling. It took a nice big bite out of it, tearing it and ripping it to shreds before it unleashed an almighty, unmistakable dragon burp. Then, it left the Hall with the elf and half-dragon.  
  
  
** ~*~**  
  
  
Hours passed before they finally ran into C-chan, Megan, and Jackie. They ambushed Naurglahad in a friendly hug and she fell to the ground with her friends on her back.  
  
"Get off me!" she barked, tossing everyone off. They laughed as they each settled down.   
  
"It's been three or four months, Naurglahad," said Megan, "We can't help attacking you." Naurglahad grinned and dusted herself off before standing up next to Legolas.  
  
"Wow!" cried C-chan, "You can actually be in each other's presence for five minutes without trying to kill each other! Amazing!"  
  
"What did you do this past fall to make you so peaceful around each other?" asked Jackie, trying to taunt Naurglahad by raising her eyebrows suggestively. Naurglahad was not affected. She only grinned as Legolas slowly put an arm around her waist. The three watched them curiously, wondering why Naurglahad hadn't attempted to break Legolas' neck yet.   
  
They smiled into each other's eyes as they turned to face one another. She said, "Well... not much happened."  
  
Then, right in front of their eyes, they shared a sweet kiss of pleasure. C-chan fainted, Megan's jaw dropped as she staggered to restrain a laugh, and Jackie's eyes were welling up with tears of joy. Finally, she thought, after three years of top secret work with Gimli, she had succeeded!  
  
**  
~*~**  
  
  
"They have our decision," said Legolas quietly when the orange of day had faded into the navy blue of night, "We have been summoned to the Hall."  
  
Naurglahad nodded as she walked with Legolas through the routes of the forest. Then, taking the same grass path, they entered the Caves, where the Hall was. The doors opened again. Wethrinaer stood with the Bell of Judgment in his hand again. Elenwe was nowhere to be seen.  
  
"We, the Council of Thranduil have come to out final decision," he announced. "We forbid the uniting of Elf Prince Legolas Greenleaf and Half-Dragon Naurglahad Ryunarasu..." rage began boiling in Naurglahad's and Legolas' blood, "_If_ Naurglahad does not qualify for the following tasks: One, one year of service to Mirkwood; Two, convert all religions and beliefs to the faith of the Valar; Three, learns the customs and traditions, including languages and attire of Arda; and Four, gains proper Immortality."  
  
"In translation," said Thranduil with a grin on his face, "Simply do everything we tell you to, and it will all work out fine." Satisfaction slightly came upon their faces, "And now, we welcome home Legolas and his Chosen with a feast and entertainment! To the Dining Hall!" he announced.  
  
  
** ~*~**  
  
  
"Are you sure you want to leave?"  
  
"Positive."  
  
Legolas watched Elenwe load his last possesion into his sack and fling it over his horse's back. The feast hadn't even begun and Elenwe had decided to depart for the outside again.  
  
"Why do you leave us?" asked Legolas.  
  
"I'm going to see the world," replied Elenwe, now mounting.  
  
"But we just came back from seeing a lot of Middle-earth this morning!"  
  
"But not all of it. I'm leaving. To get out to the unknown, to escape my father," he nudged his horse and began walking away, "And to find what my destiny is! I cannot wait. Namaarie!"  
  
He nudged his horse two more times and began speeding off into the darkness of the wood. Legolas watched him leave until he was out of sight. He was a bit confused at Elenwe's sudden depaerture, but he understood why. Walking back to the glow of the torchlights, he turned back and said,  
  
"Good luck."   
  


* * *

  
*I don't think they really have gates, but yeah.   
**Not sure if thye have a Bell of Judegment either, but oh well!  
  
  
  



	23. EPILOGUE

The next morning, Naurglahad woke to a soft kiss on her forehead. When she opened her gorgeously green eyes and raised her head, causing her beautiful shiny brown hair to spill over her willowy shoulders, she found Legolas stooping at her bedside, straight and broad in all his morning radiance. She smiled at him for a moment, twirling a few strands of her silky hair between her long slender fingers. Then, she opened her perfectly shaped lips and said,  
  
"Legolas, what the frickin' hell are you doing in my room?"  
  
"I just wanted to tell you that you're late for breakfast," he replied, stroking her hand, "And that I love you more than anyone else in the world."  
  
"That's so sweet. I love you too," she kissed his cheek, "Now...I'M TIRED! NOW GET THE FRICKIN' HELL OUTTA' MY ROOM!"  
  
Legolas quickly dashed out her door, but he grinned this time just as he avoided a hard cover copy of 'War and Peace' flying at his head.  
  
  
**  
~*THE END*~  
  
  
  
**** -EPILOGUE-  
  
**_Elenwe Pilininge was never seen by Legolas Greenleaf or Naurglahad Ryunarasu ever again. He found a pleasant life with a dandy elf maiden who was eldest daughter to a chief boatmaker in Lindon. He wed her and she bore him three children.  
  
Wethrinaer Pilininge in his wrath fled from Mirkwood to retrieve his son. After ten years of searching, he gave up and went to the Grey Havens. It is said that as soon as the boat had left the dock, Wethrinaer saw his son and a beautiful maiden walk away from the shore.  
  
Asira the Dragon had also faded into the forgotten. Firestorm, Jade, and Cerulean had called for her, yet she never returned. But storms of pearly white hailstones occur at the east foot of Cadharas. It is accompanied by a black of night and fades away with lights of gold.  
  
Legolas Greenleaf continued his life at a normal basis once more. With Naurglahad Ryunarasu by his side, he ventured into caves, mountains, and forests with Gimli the Dwarf.   
  
The evil beasts that had been kept in Mirkwood's stable were trained and groomed. Gleaming pendants were hung around their necks and they became kind to friends. Vedi the Nazgul beast still eats boar meat.  
  
  
Naurglahad immediately began taking lessons in the elvish culture. She converted herself to the faith of the Valar, and the refusal of evil. Her old wardrobe of the black clothes with high cuts were destoryed and replaced with long, modest clothes. She developed a taste for silk. Her gloves were also replaced with ones made of orc hide. Dragonsilk, her crossbow, knives, whips, belts, and her computer were all tossed into the fireplaces. Every document of her crimes and instruction manuals for using electronic devices were also discarded. The ship Inugami was hidden underground. She discovered twenty more uses for dragon's blood, and it turned out that venom extracted dragon spit really did go good...with pancakes. She also came with uses for spider fluids. Extracting a certain Giant Spider's genetics, she gained temporary immortality.   
_  
_When each qualification had been completed, Legoas Greenleaf and Naurglahad Ryunarasu were wed in late April. In May one year later, she bore him a child, Aremis Greenleaf._   
  
  
**-PROLOGUE-**  
  
"He is dead, Naurglahad."  
_  
...When all hope is lost..._  
  
"Why didn't I go with him? I should've died by his side..."  
  
_...There is only faith..._  
  
"We will find him. It'll be my secret mission. But don't tell mother!"  
  
_...and Darkness..._  
  
"It is my bitter revenge. And I love it."  
  
_ ...So when Darkness closes in..._  
  
"The Spiders, the Wargs, the Balrogs, the Orcs... they have all returned."  
  
_ ...Only faith..._  
  
"I don't like you... I love you."  
  
_ ...Can guide the way..._  
  
"...Quests stink! I hope you know that!"  
  
** ALDARION  
Son of the Trees**  
  
"Why can't we just have one big war like everyone else?!"  



	24. I Stand Alone Intertwine Remix

Disclaimer: Tolkien owns LOTR, Godsmack owns I Stand Alone.   
  
THis is just a funky little thing that intertwines Godsmack's I Stand Alone with my fic. Artsy fartsy crap. No need for reading. Just there cuz I wanted to put it there.   
  
  
  
  
  
**Now I've told you this once before   
You can't control me  
If you try to take me down you're gonna break **  
  
_ "Legolas? What the frickin' hell are you doing in my room?!"   
Legolas cocked his head and retorted. "Shut up. You're going to be late"   
"Late?" she spat. "Late for what?"   
"Late for breakfast stupid!"   
"Don't call me stupid. Now get out of my room before I kick your ass."   
"' Get out my room before I kick your ass'" mocked Legolas. "Oh DEAR! I'm SOOO scared-OW!" He rubbed his head in ache, trying to recover from the book Naurglahad had just thrown at him.   
"Ha ha h-no." said Naurglahad. "Now out." She pointed to the exit. "And don't let me catch you around my room ever again."   
Legolas turned out of the room, not bothering to keep his voice low as he swore in Elvish.  
_  
** Now I feel your every nothing that you're doing for me   
I'm picking you outa me   
you run away **  
  
_ "Say it!"  
Legolas groaned. "Dragons are the most wonderful and useful creatures in all of Arda"  
"Good. Now say: Naurglahad has just saved my life. I will not irk her or defy her ever again"  
"Naurglahad has just saved my life," Legolas shuddered at the thought, "I will not irk her or defy her ever again"  
"Thank you very much. Now rest. I can't stand the sight of you recovering from a severe injury any longer. Maybe you'll die in your sleep! I'll be happy then because I was just 'too late to save you'"  
_  
  
** I stand alone   
Inside   
I stand alone **  
  
_ "This is fun!"  
"We're going to die!" screamed Legolas.  
"No we're not!"  
Then, the ice planes smashed into another wall, breaking it open revealing a steep slide. Their level was tipping over at the edge. In it's ignorant panic, the Troll scrambled off the plane and slammed itself firmly on the ice.  
Unfortunately, the Troll was too stupid to know that you should never slam four tons of weight onto a thin sheet of ice.  
The Troll cracked it and fell into the icy water beneath, just as the plane fell forward down the slide.  
"Noooow," said Naurglahad "we're going to die"_  
  
** You're always hiding behind your so called goddess   
So what you don't think that we can see your face   
Resurrected back before the final fallen   
now they've arrest until I can make my own way   
**  
_ "Now get along. And don't hesitate. Be confident." and just as he was about to sneak out the window, he added, "Don't fade."  
_  
** I'm not afraid of fading **  
  
_ She would listen to her heart, and what she wanted to do.  
_  
  
** I stand alone   
Feeling your sting down inside of me   
I'm not dying for it **  
  
_ "Don't call me an idiot!" she roared.  
"Why not? All your actions are an idiot's worth of work!"  
"No they aren't! You always do this!" suddenly, she flung herself out of bed, still hyperventilating. Her cries of pain suddenly vanished, "You are a wicked father! Why can't you just accept me, like how you do when I do things before you tell me? I am already more than enough!"  
The man also flipped out of bed and stood to face his raging daughter. "Do not defy what you must obey! I am your master, and your father!"  
"You will not be master any longer then!"  
_  
** I stand alone   
Everything that I believe is fading   
I stand alone   
Inside   
I stand alone **  
  
_ And no one was there. He stood in the snow wit his light elven feet, listening carefully. He thought her heard her laughter in a passing breeze. But he knew it wasn't her laughter. It was just the evils of nature, taunting him; teasing him; laughing at him.  
_  
** And now its my time (now its my time)   
It's my time to dream (my time to dream)   
Dream of the sky (dream of the sky)**  
  
  
_ She closed her eyes, just as Legolas kissed her one last time. Through the silence of his tears, he could feel her lips return his kiss. Then, they turned cold.  
She was dead._  
  
** Make me believe that this place is invaded   
By the poison in me   
Help me decide if my fire will burn out   
Before you can breathe   
Breathe into me **  
  
_... he held Naurglahad close to his chest, close to his heart. She didn't breath, and her heart wasn't beating. An everlasting winter consumed his soul as he felt her body turn to ice. She was gone. They had only realized their love for each other for a few precious hours, maybe even only one hour; one glorious, paradise found hour. She was gone._  
  
** I stand alone   
Feeling your sting down inside of me   
I'm not dying for it **  
  
_ It was fierce aerial combat, involving smashing, flaming, roaring, and attempts to gore each other with the razor sharp crowns upon their heads. The earth shook with each blow, and their fighting only became angrier and intense.  
_  
** Everything that I believe is fading   
I stand alone   
Inside   
I stand alone   
Inside   
I stand alone   
Inside   
I stand alone   
Inside**  
  
*CUT!*   
  



	25. Final Note

_ I have really, really enjoyed writing this story. I feel that this definitely has not been a waste of my summer vacation, which I have completely spent writing. I didn't expect over 90 reviews! It's so close to one hundred! I'm not really that old. In fact, I'm still a kid in junior high! But I had dreamed that when I turned seventeen, I could write just as beautifully as my two favorite novel fic authors__. Each of their beautiful pieces has over 100 reviews, and it's very well written. Both stories and names are on my faves list. Well, that dream hasn't come ture, but I achieved 100 hundred reviews! In all my time as a fic author, this was nothing more than a wild vision, but here it is! So, here's another thank-you note, and special credits to other things that inspired me.  
  
_**THANK YOU REVIEWERS!**  
  
-Lirawen  
-Lexxy  
-Amarth  
-Aradi  
-Noah Vail  
-Quiet One  
-Lieutenant General Insaneo:   
-Multiple Lilys  
-Chaos-chan a.k.a. poem person  
-Baguette  
-Winterfox  
-Cavca  
-Abby  
-Shy  
-Jennie  
-Squeeker  
-Starbrat  
-Akallabeth  
-Alexiakia222  
-Cherie  
-Aga_xris  
-Safiya  
-Sam  
-Konane  
  
  
  
**MY INPIRATIONS  
  
-**'I Stand Alone' by Godsmack: where I got the title and personalities of the Ryunarasu family.   
  
-'Break You' by Drowning Pool: Naheka's dark side was spawned from this song.  
  
-'Crazy for this Girl' by evan and jaron: Can you tell?  
  
-'Drive' by Incubus: it helps....  
  
-'Celtic Odyssey': This is real Celt music (not Enya. It's Irish and Scottish, like me. Cept I'm Scott). Good inspiration music.  
  
-'Morghan Meaghan' by Laurie Riley and Bob McNally: From CO, this very waltz like piece was the one I imagined Legolas and Naheka danced to in Rivendell. It's very... waltzy flowery stuff.  
  
-'Calliope' by Alasdair Fraser/Paul Machlis: Also from CO, this song was played in Lorien in chapter 17!   
  
-'Trip to Skye' by John Whelan/ Eileen Ivers: From CO, this gave Naheka's nature side.  
  
  
**  
  
THE DOWNFALL CHRONICLES CONTINUES...  
  
Volume I: Wind and Fire~ **Not published. The romantic and tragic tale of Narcisuss Hebiichizoku, the woman who loved, and Onikunshu Ryunarasu, the man who never knew love.  
  
**Volume II: Set It Off!**~ In progress. Naurglahad Ryunarasu is thrown into Middle-earth. Sounds stupid and dull, but unlike the million others, Naurglahad falls into a pit of breeding Uruk-hai. She befriends the Nazgul, and becomes a secret alliance of Sauron. Now, she's after the Ring.  
**  
****Volume III: I Stand Alone**~ Finished. Naurglahad is back and eviller than ever. Here to wreck havoc and kill whatever's in her way. That is, of course, until some annoying species gets in the way...  
**  
Volume IV: Aldarion**~ The world is in danger one last time as a Dark Sorceress reclaims the throne of Mordor. Aremis Greenleaf drags her brother, Aldarion Greenleaf, and chases after the Shadows. But when they get seperated, only Aldarion can confront the Sorceress.  
  
**Volume V: One Last Breath**~ Naurglahad is about to die. Legolas is ready to depart West. But the Ryunarasu are getting their revenge, and it is going to be a bitter one. Aremis and Aldarion have problems growing up.  



End file.
